Friends, we are right in the middle of Ordinary Time. Much like there are seasons of the year (fall, winter, summer, spring) there are seasons in the church (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter). The longest season of the church by far is Ordinary Time, which stretches from the Sunday after the Lord’s Baptism (January 17th this year) to the Sunday before Lent (February 14) and the Sunday after Pentecost (May 30th this year) until the Sunday before Advent (November 21). This is about half of the year!
I love the fact that we call this long season of the church life Ordinary Time because isn’t it the case that we live most of our lives in the ordinary time, which is made extraordinary by the presence and power of God?!?
However, there is another name for this season of the year. One of my friends from seminary likes to argue with me that Kingdomtide is the better name of this long season. The name Kingdomtide reminds us that we are living in God’s kingdom now. We aren’t wasting our time here on earth waiting around for heaven. No! Neither is it the case that the poverty, injustice, and oppression that we see in the world is the final state of things. Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God in his life, death, and resurrection, and he will come again one day to bring this kingdom to completion.
We live in the meantime, in between the already and the not-yet! So, how are we called to live in God’s kingdom? This is what we will be talking about in worship over the next few weeks. To live as God’s kingdom people means that our ordinary, daily lives will take a certain shape. Our lives will be formed around Christian practices or disciplines such as prayer, fasting, scripture study, tithing, worship, and spending time with the poor. Our lives will be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit as we seek God’s will, and as we respond to God’s love, we will learn how to love our neighbors.
What a tremendous blessing it is to live in Kingdomtide!
With joy, Pastor Kristin
