Ordinary times

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most of the world. We mark appointments, plan our weeks, and count our days on this calendar. On the gregorian calendar, we also keep track of holidays and birthdays of family and friends. We use this calendar to measure the seasons of Spring, summer, fall, and winter as the earth circles the sun. In addition to the Gregorian calendar, there is another essential calendar, and just like our Gregorian calendar, this second has seasons also. I am talking about the Liturgical calendar of the Christian church. The Christian calendar to has seasons. Each season marks important events in the Christian year.   In addition, the seasons of the liturgical year are represented by a specific color. which are listed in a Color guide that can be found on the Webb.

So it is how I found myself thinking about the significance of what it means to be ordinary on a Good Friday which is not an ordinary day on the Christian year.. I decided that I had adequate time that morning to accomplish a writing task. I made this commitment to this job many months ago.  I did not want to procrastinate. I found it was only April 19th, slightly more than one entire month before the blog was due. I was already beginning to feel anxious. My anxiety was raging.  I  was afraid I would fail and not get this project done.  

I sat down and began the stressful task of writing. I placed my fingers on the computer keyboard, and as I did so, I could hear the television turned on in the other room. I quickly became distracted by the sound of the many weather advisories reported every few minutes. A front of potential severe weather, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, and straight-line winds along with heavy rain and hail, was being predicted for my community. The severe storms were expected to arrive in a few hours.  

Despite my concern about the approaching storms, I was determined to complete my project. I had been praying about what to write for the last several weeks. But I still could not come up with a super-fantastic and spiritually-enlightening idea. Recent SMC Women’s Ministry blog posts were well-written and spiritually significant. Thinking about this served to add more fuel to the burning anxiety I felt inside. So it was that on this rainy morning, I stared at my blank computer screen, wondering why I had chosen May 29th as the date I could write a post for the SMCW’s website.  

As I struggled to search for ideas, I became fixated on my struggle. What WAS I thinking? There are no major Christian events or holidays in May to write about. I wondered what I could write on this day, Good Friday, which is such an important day of the Christian year, to be published on such an ordinary day in May? I felt lost, frustrated, and inadequate for the task ahead of me.   

What I needed at that moment was something to inspire me that was extraordinary. It is like vanilla ice cream. I felt what I needed was more like chocolate chip mint, rocky road, or cookie dough flavor - something exciting, awe-inspiring, and relevant. I kept asking myself, “What can I write. On this Good Friday, an amazing day in the Christian calendar? My essay was posted on May 29th - just an ordinary day?” But May 29th is just another day.  

I looked up from my computer and glanced out my window again. I could see that the trees had begun to sway frantically from the increasing winds. Leaves and small branches were breaking free of the trees and scattering across the yard as if they were trying to escape punishment from the storm that mother nature was about to unleash.

As I stared out my window, I watched as the trees began swaying with a vigor that matched the increasing winds. Then suddenly, a small brown bird landed on the windowsill looking for food. The day before, my husband had taken down our bird feeders in preparation for the predicted storm. Nevertheless, this little brown bird searched the windowsill for some seed that might have fallen on the ledge. I had seen this ordinary-looking, small, brown bird before. His sudden appearance and his search for food provided yet another distraction. Taking my mind away from my writing chore. As the wind blew, the trees swayed, and the rain began to fall, this tiny, brown bird paused from his food search to bless me with his beautiful song. As I listened to this bird sing his song of joy, I could feel my anxiety dissipate, and the fear left me. I continued to listen to this small, brown, ordinary bird.  It was then when I realized it is in the everyday moments of life that God speak to us in whispers as I heard a voice say, “Why are you here, Elijah?” (Kings 19:13)

1 Kings 19:11-13

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord Is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord Was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord Was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came to a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after, the fire went to a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face, went out, and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

As I sat contemplating my responsibility, I asked myself, “Why am I here?” We are all here because God uses ordinary people to spread the extraordinary love of Christ to the world. We sing songs, tell stories, and write for blogs. We even, at times, whisper. The storms passed, the rain stopped, and there were no tornadoes, just a tiny bird singing a love song. I will continue to be just an ordinary person who can help “make Jesus famous!”