Ordinary Time - Rector's Rambling for June 21, 2015

We are now into the green season of Trinity-tide.  From now until November 29, with only three exceptions for St. Michael and All Angels, St. Luke the Physician, and All Saints Day, we will be wearing the green vestments for Sundays.  Each week is numbered as Sundays after Trinity Sunday.

This season is also known as Ordinary time.  When we say “ordinary” we don’t mean there is nothing special about it, but rather that it is a time of ordered teaching by and about our Lord.  This is a time to look deeper into the various teachings of the Church not touched upon in those other shorter seasons (Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc.) that have specific themes.

We are people who are confined to time and space, and the church calendar helps us to mark time with our Lord’s life and teaching.

Additionally, we have a schedule here during the week.  We celebrate the Holy Communion Services on Sunday and Weekdays as well as the Daily Office of Evening Prayer.  The readings and theme of each weekday service is set not only by the Sunday previous, but the various Feast Days that occur on those days.  This helps us to mark time as well as be regular about the life of prayer.

And let us not forget that even our “regular” Sundays have a rotating schedule.  First Sunday has the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), Second and Fifth Sundays are Morning Prayer with Communion, Third Sunday begins with the Litany before the Service and includes Healing Prayers by members of the Order of St. Luke.

How we worship on Sunday (the Order for the Service of Holy Communion) is set for us, but we have variations of readings for each week, known as The Lectionary.  The hymns are selected for the theme of the readings for the week and therefore vary as well.  So although the Communion Service from the Prayer Book does not change in substance or text, the teaching (lessons) and worship (hymns) does vary, giving us both stability as well as variety.