Nothing Ordinary About Ordinary Time

The Psalmist said, "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." After rehearsing the providential care of the Lord, worship was the only fitting response. No matter what the day before might have brought or what tomorrow might bring, today (as everyday) belongs to God and He deserves worship.

To trace the word glory (doxa) in the New Testament would point the reader to the presence of God. It's the word of choice for referring to kabod in the Old Testament.  That glory (Shekinah) that stood above the Tabernacle and settled on the mercy seat is God's presence. To "hope in the glory of God" is to be assured the gap between us and God is closed forever.

To arise each day (no matter which day this one is…the 10th, the 90th, the 182nd) with that hope, that promise, is to turn ordinary life into extraordinary living.

We are reminded that in the midst of the mundane:

III. Through the Holy Spirit, we can experience the love of God (vv. 3-5).

As seen the recent blockbuster The Blind Side, Sean and Leigh Anne Touhy demonstrated extraordinary love in taking in homeless teen Michael Oher. As they openly gave of themselves to Michael, he experienced transformation from a quiet underachiever to an NFL lineman (Baltimore Ravens). Their love enabled him to see adversity turn to strength, perseverance to character, despair to hope.

That's what God does for us. Through His Holy Spirit, given by the Father through the Son, God takes the ordinary events of life and uses them to shape us into people with character, strength and hope. He shows us that ordinary time is never merely ordinary, but is God's opportunity to be extraordinary.

Even as "ordinary time"—post-Easter/Pentecost celebrations—settles in, let's not settle for ordinary life. Let's make ourselves available to God, that through Christ He might turn ordinary life into extraordinary living.