Saturday, June 5, 2010

Ordinary Time...

For all you that are curious about the seasons of the Church, this Sunday is the first Sunday after Trinity Sunday and this the time of the year is known as Ordinary Time. HMMMMM... What is ordinary about church?  Have you been to my church, there is nothing ordinary about it!

Actually, Ordinary Time does not mean mundane or common, but simply means counted time.  Counted time after Pentecost always begins with Trinity Sunday (the first Sunday after Pentecost) and ends with Christ the King Sunday or the Reign of Christ the King (last Sunday before the beginning of Advent).

The 33 or 34 Sundays of Ordinary Time (23 to 28 Sundays after Pentecost) are used to focus on various aspects of the Faith, especially the mission of the church in the world.  The Lectionary readings for these Sundays tend to be semi-continuous readings through certain sections of Scripture, especially through the Synoptic Gospel of the year. However, many ministers use Ordinary Time to focus on specific themes of interest or importance to a local congregation rather than building sermons around the Lectionary readings.
A lectionary is simply a list of Bible passages for reading, study, or preaching in services of worship.
Even so, most pastors who observe the church year will continue to follow the Lectionary readings in public worship even if they are not the topic of the sermon in order to preserve the continuity of the spoken word of Scripture being heard by the congregation.

The sanctuary color for Ordinary Time is dark green, although other shades of green are commonly used. Green has traditionally been associated with new life and growth. Even in Hebrew in the Old Testament, the same word for the color “green” also means “young.” In Christian tradition, green came to symbolize the life of the church following Pentecost, as well as symbolizing the hope of new life in the resurrection.

So as mundane as this writing is, I urge you to attend a church of your choice and see for yourself how Ordinary the church is.

Psalm 86:8-10 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.  All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.  For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

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