LETTER FROM REVD LOUISE

Dear Friends,

On May 31st we observe Trinity Sunday: the great feast when we think deeply about who God is, his power, glory and holiness. This marks a turn in the Church year. We have had Lent, Easter and Pentecost: the colours of the material hangings in church have changed from purple, to white, to red. We use white for Trinity but the following day they go green. The church seasons retelling the Christian faith have come and gone, and the following day, Ordinary Time begins. Ordinary Time is not an especially imaginative name but it seems to sum it up! And we remain in Ordinary Time until the end of October.

Ordinary Time, or the green weeks, is how we refer to those weeks in the Christian year that aren’t anything specific. But isn’t that a bit negative? Surely if God is with us, nothing can be ordinary?! Well, yes and no.

We have many wonderful and special times in church: Christmas, Easter, Ascension and Harvest, and so on. Together they bring shape to the year. They recall the wonderful saving acts of God and give us great times of celebration. They also reflect those times in our Christian journey when we sense God’s presence and feel his love and blessing in wonderful ways. But most Christians will say that their pilgrimage with God has had times of struggle, doubt and questioning. And many will also recognise that much of our Christian life is conducted when life is very mundane and, dare I say it, ordinary!

The great thing about Ordinary Time is that it reminds us that God is not just for the peaks and troughs in our lives. God doesn’t just draw alongside us when we are sorrowful and afraid. The Christian life isn’t just Christmas and Easter; it’s far more than that.

Ordinary Time reminds us that our faith is an everyday faith. Jesus is with us as we do the washing up and mow the lawn. He’s with us as we commute and queue up for petrol. He’s with us when we are well and life is trundling along, just as much as when our lives are full of challenge and difficulty.

I wonder if we always remember that? Some of us keep Jesus for Christmas. And others keep Jesus for when we are in trouble; when a relative or friend is ill; when life feels overwhelming and impossible. And of course, he offers to walk with us when times are hard. But do we invite Jesus to walk with us in our ordinary and untroubled times? Do we find we prefer to get on with our lives without reference to God when life is fine and uneventful?

Then, this year, let Ordinary Time become an extraordinary opportunity to deepen your friendship with God. If at all possible, take the opportunity to read your Bibles, pray for the world, love and serve those around you. Come to church more often; come to a service you’ve not tried before; read a Christian book or article; give some money away; bring a friend to a church social event. In these ordinary times, God is with us and invites us to share our time with him.

May it be that these next 5 months of Ordinary Time each of us sees a growth in faith, hope and love in our lives.

I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God’. My times are in your hands. Psalm 31.14

God bless you,

Louise.x