Summertime Reflections

This is an especially lovely time of the year—a time of searingly beautiful dawn chorus, long summer evenings, and bird song reflected in so many of our Summer Church Services: Choral Evensong and Songs of Praise Services. We are in the long green avenue of ‘Ordinary Time’ as our countryside gradually mellows from the joyous verdant green of early summer to the golden hues of autumn.

Ordinary Time is a wonderful time in the Church calendar full of many festival days to be celebrated joyfully. We spend more weeks in Ordinary Time than any other season in the Church by far (33-34 weeks depending on the year). This season is also filled with important festival days, such as Corpus Christi (30th May), the Assumption of Mary (August 15th), All Saints Day (November 1st), All Souls (November 2nd), and Christ the King (November 25th) and not forgetting the Transfiguration (August 6th) and Mary’s birthday (Sept 8th).

Ordinary Time is the only liturgical period celebrated in two segments. The first segment runs from the Monday after Candlemas to Ash Wednesday, then picks up again after Pentecost and runs up to Advent. Advent and Christmas focus on our Lord’s lead-up to and birth, while Lent and Easter focus on our Lord’s lead-up to and Passion.

On the other hand, Ordinary Time focuses primarily on the life and ministry of Jesus, those days and years when the Son of God lived and walked among us.

The deeper meaning of “ordinary” time

At its etymological root, the word “ordinary” has a rich meaning, far beyond the usual understanding of humdrum, commonplace or everyday. The word has its source in a Sanskrit, or Indo-European, word, which entered into Latin as the verb “orior”, meaning to rise up, to be stirred up and to grow. The word for “east” in Latin, “oriens”, conveys the same rich meaning: It indicates the rising of the sun. Hence, Ordinary Time is, for Christians, the opportunity to allow the Lord to stir up our faith, to allow our spirits to rise and to grow in our spiritual life.

The colour green brings this meaning to the fore since it evokes life and growth, hope and anticipation. I love the Green Altar Cloth at St Hilda’s, Beadlam, so beautifully embroidered. It displays a tree with deep roots supporting a sturdy trunk with strong branches stretching out.

The liturgical meaning of the word “ordinary” is very different from its use in usual conversation. Ordinary means normal, unexceptional, or regular; sometimes, it carries the notion of boring, dull, or monotonous. Ordinary Time is none of these. It is derived from the Latin words “ordinatim”, something arranged in good order, and “ordo”, a series or a row of things, a line-up. In a liturgical sense, Ordinary Time is well-ordered time. Ordinary Time focuses on discipleship, how to live the Christian faith week by week with deeper faith and greater conviction, and how to apply the Gospel to daily life.

Navigating the time of transition and change

I have the lovely privilege of spending a fair bit of time with young people, especially this time of the year as exams are on the horizon and locally, I am invited into Nawton Primary School to offer the End of Year Service and to say a fond farewell to Year 6 as they prepare to make the important transition to Ryedale School. Also, I see students about to leave school, students at university and graduates about to start a career. We talk and ponder the challenges and possibilities as they begin their journeys into the future.

The first thing to do is to dream. Seemingly, the least practical activity turns out to be the most practical and most often left undone. Dreams are where we visit the many lands and landscapes of human possibility and discover the one where we feel at home. Moses dreamed of a land flowing with milk and honey, and Isaiah dreamed of a world of peace. One of the greatest speeches of the 20th Century was Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream”. If I were to design a curriculum for happiness, dreaming would be a compulsory course.

The second rule is to follow your passion. Nothing – not wealth, success, accolades or fame justifies spending a lifetime doing things you don’t enjoy. People who follow their passion tend to lead blessed lives. Happy in what they do, they tend to spread happiness to those whose lives they touch.

The third principle I gleaned from reading Auschwitz survivor Viktor Frankl, whose book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ is one of our time’s most widely read books. Frankl wrote, ‘Don’t ask what you want from life. Ask what life wants from you.’ As Chancellor of Exeter University, Baroness Floella Benjamin was famous for hugging every graduate and imploring them to ‘change the world.’ The most fulfilled lives are ones where people hear a call and have a sense of vocation. Moses might have lived a life of ease as a prince of Egypt, but he heard the cry of his people as they suffered under slavery and God’s call to lead them to freedom.

Make space for the things that matter

There is a well-known story about three men who spent their lives quarrying rocks. When asked what they were doing, one replied ‘breaking rocks.’ The second said ‘earning a living’. The third said, ‘building a cathedral’. We ponder the principle of working hard, seizing every opportunity, and living to the fullest the gift of life. Above all, we consider the fundamental importance of making space in our lives for the things that matter, for family and friends, love and generosity, fun and joy, and to be thankful. Life without dedicated time for renewal, exercise, music, or a sense of humour is a lesser life.

In York Diocese, whatever season of life we find ourselves in, we are endeavouring to Live Christ’s Story, to follow Jesus’s example and his vision of Thy Kingdom Come, to live life in abundance, a balanced Rhythm of Life of thankfulness, reflection, worship, prayer, love, generosity, community, and stillness and rest.

With my love and prayers, and I wish everyone a lovely summer and enjoyment of this beautiful corner of Ryedale.

Rev’d Canon Sue Binks
Helleborus Cottage
Harome

01439 770 523

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