Adult Sunday School - December 3

Dear Class Member, 

This week we take the opportunity to think about the sacred aspects of living an "ordinary" life that is faithful to God. What’s an Ordinary Christian Life will be the topic of our next class on Sunday, December 3 at 9:00 am. 

If you wish to start thinking about our topic in advance, here is the lesson. 

What's an 'Ordinary Christian Life'? 

In the News 

Because The Wired Word is a news-driven discussion guide, we frequently build lessons on major news, especially when it occurs in the United States. But some weeks, U.S. news that is truly major seems scarce (especially when, for the most part, we don't address political stories, which many TWW subscribers tell us they prefer not to use). A scarcity of major news seems to be the case at the time of this writing. 

That could all change in a moment, of course, but for this moment, the flow of news seems to be fairly ordinary. You know that major news is in short supply when the leading story pertaining to the United States is "Apple to unveil its iPhone 15 lineup in what could be the biggest change to the phone's design in 11 years." 

We are aware, of course, of the earthquake in Morocco, which has claimed at least 2,100 lives. That is major news, and we in no way discount it, but in terms of being TWW lesson material, it comes shortly after our lesson on another natural disaster -- the fires in Maui -- and does not hit home for a lot of Americans. The war in Ukraine grinds on. That's important too, but not really new news. Even the anniversary of 9/11, which occurred last week, did not draw the national attention that earlier observances did. 

So for this lesson, we've chosen to focus on the stuff of "ordinary time": We get up, let out the dog, make breakfast, drink coffee, drive to work, do our job, go home, eat supper, mow the lawn, check our social media accounts, go to bed. Around us, sports are played, vacations are taken, kids go back to school, the trash gets picked up, stores run sales, and so on. 

"Ordinary has to be one of the loneliest words in our vocabulary today," writes seminary professor Micheal Horton, in an essay on the Ligonier ministry website titled "The Ordinary Christian Life." "Who wants a bumper sticker that announces to the neighborhood, 'My child is an ordinary student at Bubbling Brook Elementary'?" 

Horton continues. "Who wants to be that ordinary person who lives in an ordinary town, is a member of an ordinary church, has ordinary friends, and works an ordinary job?" And then, speaking for the opposing view, he adds, "Our life has to count. We have to leave our mark, have a legacy, and make a difference. We need to be radical disciples, taking our faith to a whole new level. And all of this should be something that can be managed, measured, and maintained. We have to live up to our Facebook profile."

But Horton identifies a certain restlessness with constant calls to be extraordinary and constantly on the lookout for the next big thing, and he goes on to urge a renewed respect for ordinariness. When he applies this to the Christian life, he praises "steady maturation in Christ through participation in the ordinary life of the covenant community." 

Karl Vaters, who blogs about small church ministry, writes, "... life isn't made up of one moment of excellence after another. It's made up of one ordinary action after another. It's about simple, consistent, sometimes boring faithfulness. When you're following God's will for your life and you string a bunch of ordinary, but necessary actions together, extraordinary things can happen." 

Ordinary time is also God-given time. There's a 17th-century devotional classic titled The Practice of the Presence of God, written by a lay monk named Nicholas Herman but known in the monastery as Brother Lawrence. He was assigned to work in the monastery's kitchen, and while there, he decided to try to pay 

attention to God's presence even while going about his very ordinary duties. As he developed the ability to do this, he found, "That time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I enjoy God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament." 

Brother Lawrence also wrote, "Lift up your heart to [God] during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think." And "We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed." 

In Christian denominations that use a liturgical calendar, there are two periods that are sometimes together referred to as "Ordinary Time." They are the weeks following the high holy seasons of the Advent-Christmas Epiphany cycle and those following the Lent-Easter-Pentecost one. Depending on the flow of the calendar, 33- 34 weeks of each year are "Ordinary Time." 

If your church uses a liturgical calendar, you are in Ordinary Time right now, though it might be designated by different rubric. On some liturgical calendars, these "ordinary times" are designated simply as the "after" seasons: The Sundays following Epiphany Day up to when Lent starts are numerically designated as "The First/Second/Third/etc. Sunday After the Epiphany"; the Sundays following Pentecost Sunday up to when Advent starts are numerically designated as "The First/Second/Third/etc. Sunday After Pentecost." 

Literally, the "ordinary" in that seasonal name doesn't mean ordinary in the usual sense of "normal" or "routine" but rather refers to the ordinal numbers used to designate the Sundays -- First/Second/Third/etc. -- thus "ordinary" in that title means "numbered," but most people nonetheless hear "Ordinary Time" as referring to "normal or routine days with no special or distinctive features." Sometimes pastors will even write articles for their church newsletters about how Ordinary Time can be times of extraordinary blessings. 

If your church does not follow a liturgical calendar, you likely have -- in effect -- even more days in ordinary time -- once you subtract Christmas and Easter and whatever other "special days" you might observe each year. 

We are reminded of a line from The Hobbit, when, after several adventures, Bilbo, Gandalf and the Dwarves reach Rivendell for a respite: "Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, or

even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway." 

God is in all time, so that even ordinary and routine days "are good to spend" and are sacred places to be in God's presence. And that's just as true in nonliturgical churches as liturgical ones. 

More on this story can be found at these links: 

Faithfulness: God's Goals + Ordinary Actions = Extraordinary Results. Pivot 

(https://www.christianitytoday.com/karl-vaters/2018/october/faithfulness-goals-actions-results.html)The Ordinary Christian Life. Ligonier (https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/ordinary-christian-life) Ordinary Time. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinary_Time) 

The Big Questions 

1. Does ordinary necessarily mean unimportant? Why or why not? 

2. What habits or routines contribute to your spiritual growth? 

3. In what ways have you unexpectedly experienced God's presence in ordinary life? 4. What helps you make and keep space for the holy in the routine of your life? 

5. What is your favorite thing to do when you have time to do absolutely nothing at all? Do you feel like you have to apologize for having blessedly free time? Do you try to hide the fact that you enjoy ordinary time? 

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope 

Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion: 

Proverbs 16:9 

The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs the steps. (No context needed.) 

A popular saying has it that "Life is what happens while you are making other plans." You may have heard it attributed to John Lennon, who used those words in his 1980 song "Beautiful Boy," but the phrase did not originate with him. Several sources that investigate the origin of quotes have attributed it to writer Alan Saunders, who used it in the January 1957 issue of Reader's Digest. The proverb quote above can perhaps be thought of as an even earlier version of the same idea, only with a more direct linkage to God. 

But no matter who originated the aphorism, it states a basic truth: Life is not just in the exciting and glorious times, but in the everyday stuff as well.

Questions: How would you explain the saying to a teenager? How would you explain the proverb to a teenager? How might you use the saying or the proverb to steady yourself after some worked-for goal eluded your grasp? 

Matthew 2:7 

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. (For context, read Matthew 2:1-12 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/? search=matthew+2%3A1-12&version=NRSVUE).) 

2 Corinthians 6:2 

… Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! (For context, read 2 Corinthians 5:16- -6:2 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A16- 

-6%3A2&version=NRSVUE).) 

The part of time that seems of most concern in the Bible is the present, and often, the routine or ordinary present. 

In New Testament Greek, there are two words used that are normally translated as "time." One, chronos (pronounced KHRON-os), is clock time. It refers to the steady succession of seconds, minutes, hours and days. You can use your watch or your calendar to refer to chronos. Matthew 2:7 above uses "time" in the chronos sense. 

The other word translated as "time" in the New Testament is kairos (pronounced ki-ROSS), which means "the time of opportunity." The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, also has a view that time comes filled with God-given possibilities and opportunities. In fact, every moment of time, as one of God's good gifts to us, comes to us with the potential of being used to respond to God and being spent doing good. Time is used in the kairos sense in 2 Corinthians 6:2 above. 

The Old Testament, originally written in Hebrew rather than Greek, doesn't use the kairos word, but does include the sense of it in such verses as Isaiah 55:6 -- "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near." 

The expressions, "while he may be found" and "while he is near," do raise the question about whether God is nearer at some times than at others. The overall testimony of scripture is that God is never far from any one of us. Nonetheless, God is not a servant of humankind, available to come running at our beck and call. 

The prophets knew that there was an immediacy to God's call at certain distinct times. When the prophets said, "Thus says the LORD ...," they meant "God is speaking right now, so right now is the time to respond." They understood that God controls the lines of approach, and that there are events in the tides of our lives that make us suddenly aware that God has opened those approaches. Those times especially call for response. This does not contradict our belief that God is always with us, but it recognizes that we can miss the blessing and help of God by not responding in those times when we are sharply aware of his call -- which could be right in the middle of an otherwise routine day.

Thus, although time consists of past, present, future and eternity, the Bible pushes us to be concerned most about eternity and the present. 

Questions: What is God saying to you at this time? In what sense might today be kairos time for you? Is it possible to tell when a particular kairos moment has begun, or is the matter clearer when looking back? 

Mark 6:6b 

Then [Jesus] went about among the villages teaching. (For context, read Mark 6:6-13 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+6%3A6-13&version=NRSVUE).) 

This is only half a verse but it represents one of the longest stretches of time described in the gospels. Each visit along that path took travel time, and hello time when you got there, and then teaching and preaching and one assumes healing. The more words it takes to describe an incident in the gospels, the less time passes. 

Questions: Jesus was going about his work here, faithfully keeping at it day after day. How do you suppose it affected him physically, emotionally and spiritually? Why? How would you answer those same questions related to your daily work? 

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 

I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; …" (For context, read Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/? search=Ecclesiastes+3%3A1-15&version=NRSVUE).) 

The writer of Ecclesiastes said that there is a "season" and a "time" for everything. God has given humans a sense of locating themselves and their "business" in the midst of God's larger plan for the cosmos ("everything"). God's sense of time is beyond full human understanding (3:11) -- a fact that instills in humanity a sense of "awe" (3:14). Since God has given humanity a sense of time and place, then every moment is an opportunity to experience the "suitable" things which God has given as a "gift" (3:13). 

Question: How might the understanding of time as a gift alter the way we schedule and use it? 

For Further Discussion 

1. Respond to this, from TWW team member Stan Purdum: "As a parish pastor, I was always glad for the Ordinary Time periods of the church year, especially after I had pastored the same church for several years. Ordinary Time gave me a stretch of time where I didn't have to figure out yet one more new way to talk about the stable or the cross or the other subjects that are pretty much mandatory for the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany

and Lent/Easter/Pentecost seasons. I'd said my piece on those things the first couple of years, so in subsequent years I had to work hard not to simply repeat myself. But Ordinary Time gave me freedom to preach on many other aspects of the Christian life." 

2. Read and discuss this article (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/everyday-routines-make-life-feel more-meaningful/) that says routines can make life feel more meaningful. 

3. This piece suggests that the big questions of life may have ordinary answers. 

(https://www.npr.org/2022/01/14/1073158746/ordinary-life-rainesford-stauffer) Read it and see what you think. It's not a religious article, so consider for yourself what ordinary answers may help with spiritual questions. 

4. Comment on this from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "Think of the photographs in our drawers, and the photographs on our phones. Some are from extraordinary events in our lives, but most times we're at ordinary events smiling back at the camera or phone. No big deal -- and that's a very big deal. God is the God of our days. That's why it's our prayers that we pray on an everyday basis that could and should be important, not just the yelps for help when things get rough." 

5. React to this: One woman says, "I'm having an extended conversation with a friend who has the same breed of dog I have, about the recent death of her dog at the age of 14.5. She had some spectacular days at dog shows with her, but is missing ordinary things the most, things like her loud bark, filling up her food bowl, finding shredded tissues on the floor or her nose in the refrigerator after a trip to the grocery store. 'What I wouldn't give to have it all back. …'" she wrote. 

6. Respond to this: "So often we think 'If I could just get through this day' … or week, or month, or even year. We wish we could jump through time to something better. To something more comfortable or more fun. To something less busy, less stressful. It's human nature. My dad never liked that mindset, though. He always used to say 'Never wish any part of your life away' to us as kids and teenagers growing up. It's often hard to do, but his point was that the hard times in your life are still your life. They still count. 

 "As we get older, life seems to go faster and faster -- maybe because each passing year is a smaller and smaller percentage of our lives to date. Maybe because we get into a comfortable routine and can kind of go on autopilot, at times, as the everyday world becomes less mysterious and fascinating to us as adults than it was when we were kids. Whatever the reason, our relationships and our time are the most valuable assets any of us will ever have. So don't wish away the days until your next vacation. Or until the weekend. Or until summer. That was my dad's message. We owe it to ourselves to soak it all up as best we can, and try to 'enjoy,' or at least be present, at all times, even the hard times." (From Sharing the Road: An Amateur Cyclist's 10,000-mile Solo Bike Trip Across America, by John Nitti, Fedd Books). 

Responding to the News 

Today's subject makes this a good time to think about daily prayer. There is a wide array of ways to include that, ranging from such formal and deliberate practices as the liturgy of the hours practiced in -- but not limited to -- monasteries to personal devotions -- to "on the move" type prayers such as Brother Lawrence described. There's no one way of praying that is more "holy" than another, but the practice of keeping in touch with God in your ordinary (and not so ordinary) days is good for your spirit. 

Prayer

Let our days, O Lord, whether ordinary or extraordinary, be lived in ways that please you. We pray for your help for all who are suffering in the world, whether caused by events new in the news or by ongoing catastrophes. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

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