And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor
(The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version Lk 2:52).
The Summer months are often labeled as “Ordinary Time” in the church calendar. The last festival of Holy Trinity serves as a hinge point between the sparkly season of Easter through Pentecost and an extended time of Sundays without festivals. However, this is not an idle time in the church and it’s certainly not a break from celebration. Rather, the liturgical color turns green as a sign of sprouting and growing faith in the resurrection life in Christ.
In our congregations, summer brings a change of pace in the life of our community. For some, this means a break from school and in some industries, life is at a much calmer pace than Fall through Spring. For others, summer growth means more work, family gatherings/outings, and intense traveling itineraries. Summer need not, however, result in sporadic worship attendance or fellowship participation. We often enjoy “movie” nights during the summer months and events like our annual ice cream social. Through it all, there is an opportunity for our faith to blossom and grow as we ponder together how God’s love continues to infuse the world with care, love, and hope.
We will also enjoy a more continuous reading through the gospel of Luke for this season. We will pick up the narrative of Jesus’ teaching, storytelling, and healing. There seems to be a little bit of everything in Luke’s well known passages; the sending out of the disciples, the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus’ visit to Mary & Martha, and Jesus’ instruction on prayer. These snapshots of Jesus’ ministry highlight various facets of discipleship practice including welcome, hospitality, listening, praying, peacemaking, rejoicing, and so much more.
Ultimately, while one might imagine “ordinary” time as a season without distinction, there is great opportunity for exploration by attending to the details that provide foundation and structure to our lives of faith, which grow from the seed of resurrection promise in Christ Jesus. Every seed planted in faith offers the opportunity for expected and unexpected growth. I look forward to all of our time together during this holy season after Pentecost. (excerpts taken from Sundays and Seasons 2025)
Peace to you all,
Pastor Ernie +