Priestly Ponderings…
The Season of Pentecost is in full swing and continues through November 20. This Season is known to many as “Ordinary Time” and yet, life at Holy Cross continues to be far from ordinary. It’s interesting to note that the Book of Common Prayer wisely maintains that this is the Season of Pentecost rather than describing it as ordinary time, and for good reason.
“Ordinary Time” is understood in terms of living our Christian faith and the meaning of Christ’s resurrection in our ordinary, daily lives. This, in itself, offers a myriad of opportunities for personal reflection and growth. But, when we think of our ordinary lives within the context of Pentecost then the ordinary suddenly becomes extraordinary. “Pentecost”emphasizes that, as the united body of Christ, the Church is given life by the Holy Spirit in order to fulfill the Church’s mission. Both terms suggest commitment to faith and witness as individuals and as a community, but the living of our daily lives is enriched that much more when we understand that the Pentecost power of the Holy Spirit is among us and at work in us. This Season of Pentecost reflects the extraordinary abundance of God that permeates our otherwise ordinary lives. Truly, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
It is with this sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence permeating our daily life in the resurrected Christ that we continue to move forward in mission as a community of faith and as individual Christians. In a recent sermon, I reflected on the uncanny number of parishioners and friends throughout our community who seem to be facing difficult times and circumstances. We encourage people to ask themselves, “Where is God in this situation?” or “What is God saying to me?” and this is wise council because God is, indeed, present in every aspect of our daily lives. But, there is another question that begs to be asked here: What might God be saying to us as a community of faith? We might takes this a step further and ask, How can this Season of Pentecost, our ‘ordinary’ time, draw us to a deeper place of nurture and support to people in need? These are the questions that our Vestry, Steering Committee, and a host of parishioners and friends are praying about right now.
Regardless of the answer(s) we may discern– and there may be many answers – we need to remember this important point: We are people of the resurrection; empowered by the Holy Spirit; and, in the midst of ordinary daily life, we encounter the extraordinary life-changing presence of God in the hearts and minds of God’s people. The difficult part for us is recognizing, hearing, and listening to and for that presence.
As summer vacations loom and we find opportunities for relaxation and recreation, I invite you to explore both as individuals and as part of the Holy Cross community, how we might live into the extraordinary ordinariness of this Pentecost Season.
Yours in service to the Gospel,
Allan+
The Season of Pentecost is in full swing and continues through November 20. This Season is known to many as “Ordinary Time” and yet, life at Holy Cross continues to be far from ordinary. It’s interesting to note that the Book of Common Prayer wisely maintains that this is the Season of Pentecost rather than describing it as ordinary time, and for good reason.
“Ordinary Time” is understood in terms of living our Christian faith and the meaning of Christ’s resurrection in our ordinary, daily lives. This, in itself, offers a myriad of opportunities for personal reflection and growth. But, when we think of our ordinary lives within the context of Pentecost then the ordinary suddenly becomes extraordinary. “Pentecost”emphasizes that, as the united body of Christ, the Church is given life by the Holy Spirit in order to fulfill the Church’s mission. Both terms suggest commitment to faith and witness as individuals and as a community, but the living of our daily lives is enriched that much more when we understand that the Pentecost power of the Holy Spirit is among us and at work in us. This Season of Pentecost reflects the extraordinary abundance of God that permeates our otherwise ordinary lives. Truly, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
It is with this sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence permeating our daily life in the resurrected Christ that we continue to move forward in mission as a community of faith and as individual Christians. In a recent sermon, I reflected on the uncanny number of parishioners and friends throughout our community who seem to be facing difficult times and circumstances. We encourage people to ask themselves, “Where is God in this situation?” or “What is God saying to me?” and this is wise council because God is, indeed, present in every aspect of our daily lives. But, there is another question that begs to be asked here: What might God be saying to us as a community of faith? We might takes this a step further and ask, How can this Season of Pentecost, our ‘ordinary’ time, draw us to a deeper place of nurture and support to people in need? These are the questions that our Vestry, Steering Committee, and a host of parishioners and friends are praying about right now.
Regardless of the answer(s) we may discern– and there may be many answers – we need to remember this important point: We are people of the resurrection; empowered by the Holy Spirit; and, in the midst of ordinary daily life, we encounter the extraordinary life-changing presence of God in the hearts and minds of God’s people. The difficult part for us is recognizing, hearing, and listening to and for that presence.
As summer vacations loom and we find opportunities for relaxation and recreation, I invite you to explore both as individuals and as part of the Holy Cross community, how we might live into the extraordinary ordinariness of this Pentecost Season.
Yours in service to the Gospel,
Allan+
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