Dear Friends,
This season of the church year is called “Ordinary Time.” The reference is to ordered or structured time, not to things being “usual.” It is intentional time. Often the summers are intentional times of rest and restoration. I just was talking with a member of the church from her spot on the beach in Florida, with her family.
Rest and restoration are an important intentional time. Even the story of the creation reminds us of that, as the 7th day was a time of rest and renewal. A Sabbath!
Someone else this week spoke with me about taking time out to celebrate a significant milestone birthday for themselves and their spouse. Beautiful. Intentional celebration is important. Intentional rest and restoration – important.
On Sunday, laughter filled the air right outside the building as a shaved ice truck pulled up outside, and everyone around could have a frozen treat on the church. Intentional.
These are holy things and holy times. Every thing we do is intentional, whether that is worship on Sunday mornings, our commitments to work for justice, our attention to the giftedness around us, all of it.
One conversation this week, with someone outside of our congregation, was about a struggle they are having with the larger Boulder community. This is a very successful person, and yet her pain and frustration are very real. It reminded me how important it is for us to take time to intentionally hear the pain and struggles as much as anything else. Taking time to listen is holy as well.
While conversations this week involved people, in several cases, frustrated about some things in this old world (both up close and far away), the way they were approaching life and its struggles was encouraging to me. It seems they are living very intentionally.
So, in the midst of this “ordinary time” – let’s think more about where each one of us can approach our life with intention. ’Tis the season after all.
Keep tellin’ the Story,
Mike
Enjoy this piece in the Canadian Rockies by strings players reminding us of the beauty of music and the world.
This week’s takeaway: “Ordinary time” is intentional time: for rest, for listening, for restoration, for celebrating and grieving.