Thought for Today
1 Samuel 21:4 The priest answered David, "I have no ordinary bread at hand, only holy bread-- provided that the young men have kept themselves from women."
Ezekiel 48:15 The remainder, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand in length, shall be for ordinary use for the city, for dwellings and for open country. In the middle of it shall be the city;
Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus
Romans 9:21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use?
“Ordinary Time The periods of the liturgical year after Epiphany and Pentecost. This designation has been used in the Roman Catholic Church since 1969.” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 196)
My UCC planning calendar tells me that next Sunday is the Second Sunday after the Epiphany. My PCUSA Book of Common Worship tells me next Sunday I the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Who is correct? What difference does it make?
For most of us, the word ordinary is synonymous with commonplace, usual or maybe even normal. I believe ‘ordinary time’ is an oxymoron. Time is one of the most extraordinary things in God’s Creation.
Irrespective of your nationality, your gender, your education or experience, you measure time and its passage exactly the same way as everyone else. Whether you are a MAGA or a Progressive, you measure time the same way. Whether you prefer one of the metric systems or the English system of measurement, you measure time the same way. In every country, in every political system, irrespective of the system of personal pronouns you use, you observe a 60 second minute, a 60 minute hour and a 24 hour day. Notice those are all multiples of 6.
Irrespective of your ethnicity, your nationality, your religion or lack thereof, if you engage in international commerce, you know and use the Gregorian calendar adopted in 1582 and named for Pope Gregory XIII. Yes, there are other calendars in use in some countries; but, international trade revolves around that same calendar.
With all due respect to Albert Einstein, we all understand the relativity of time. Whether or not you can replicate Einstein’s math, everyone knows that elapsed time is indirectly proportional to how much you need to accomplish and how little time you have to do it. The more tasks and the shorter the time, the faster time elapses.
Many years ago on my journey of faith, I read the 6th chapter of Matthew. Not only is this where Matthew presents his version of the Lord’s Prayer, in this chapter Matthew gives us Jesus’ thoughts on time. Jesus understood that even he had a limited, fixed time in which to accomplish his mission here among us.
Today, take a few minutes of your own allotted time to read that 6th chapter. Slow down as you read vss. 25-34. Among my favorite verses in the Bible are, "25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? . . . 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? . . . 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. . . . 34 So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.”
Jesus was not opposed to planning ahead. Jesus was not against making preparations for the future. Jesus would have endorsed the adage, “Hope for the best; plan for the worst.” But, Jesus was definitely against wasting any of our God-given time in needless fretting and stewing over things we cannot control of change.
Jesus told us . . . and tells us, "Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." He also tells us not to waste any time on worrying, focus on the love. . Not to waste any time in needless and fruitless or frivolous pursuits.
Stay safe, let love fill your God-given time, trust God,
Pastor Ray