The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. Gen 2:9a
The whole earth sprouts newness and life in the springtime, and green shoots break through the well-seeded garden soil. That’s what it is like with the Eternal’s victory— the Lord will cause justice and praise to sprout up before all the nations, for all peoples to see. Isaiah 61:11
Ordinary Time is a season for growth in Christ. Growing in Christ is much like growing a garden. Or in my case right now, growing my little corn crop! How do we grow? We grow in Christ by reading his word, thinking about what we have read, praying over it asking the Spirit to reveal the truth, and saturating our minds with what we learn. Ordinary time is not really ‘ordinary’ because growth is exciting!
(In my BONUS Blog I re-counted the parable of the Sower, and Jesus's explanation of that story. You can review that blog here!).
We have recently come out of the season of Pentecost. The harvest of first fruits, giving of the Law and the Spirit commemorated at Shavuot celebration, has ended and now we move into this next season of Ordinary Time. Just as the land needs time to rest before crops are planted again, so we need time to renew and gain strength for the next season. While this season may not have all the exciting events like Christmas and Easter, it does offer the challenge and excitement of seeing new growth.
“The liturgical calendar as a whole exists in large part to remind us that Christ has sanctified all of time, bringing us and the whole of our experience into the orbit of resurrection. What we deem ordinary, God has transformed into the extraordinary by the power of divine grace.”[1]
So during this season of Ordinary Time, how do we grow? Well, much like the planting of seeds. Perhaps reading the parables of Jesus is a good starting place. Jesus was a wonderful storyteller. His disciples didn’t always catch the meaning and so explanations were given when they were gathered together more privately. The parables often have wonderful applications to everyday life.
A resource that I have often turned to is a Lectionary that has ordered scripture readings for every day. It can be a lot of reading as there is a reading from an Old Testament book, a Gospel, an Epistle, and a Psalm. The readings are paired so that you can see the similarities of characters as well as how God has worked through time. Using a Lectionary you can read through the whole Bible in three years!
Reading through the Pauline Epistles is another way to spend Ordinary Time. Often the letters were addressed to people who behaved badly and what they needed to do to correct their behavior as well as their spiritual formation. We can easily insert ourselves into the same situations that Paul addressed to various churches.
Growing takes effort. It takes some determination to be consistent. Just like I must check my corn plants, water them faithfully, pull out weeds, and talk to them (yes, I do that!) By God’s grace, these little plants will grow under the sun that He provides, and perhaps a rain shower or two as well.
Growing in Christ takes effort. It takes determination to be consistent. Especially because I am so easily distracted. I must be reading the Word, thinking about what I have read, praying for understanding, and applying it to my life.
Growth also does not happen at the same rate for everyone. Sometimes there is a growth spurt and other times growth is slow. Some things just take more time to nurture! I had one more corn seed pop up this week! A late bloomer!
May my Glass Gem Corn seeds grow into beautiful, tall, corn stalks that bear beautiful corn cobs that I can share! May I grow into the beauty of Jesus and may He be seen by others through me!
Shalom!
P.S. Here’s a sneak peek at my lemons!
[1] Stookey, Laurence Hull. Calendar: Christ’s Time for the Church (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1996),134.
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