Ordinary

After the complex reading on Contemplative Prayer in Richard Foster's book, it was a welcome respite to read about Ordinary Prayer. Seeing that every ordinary act, washing dishes, combing your child's hair, mowing the grass, or watching the sunrise can be a prayer. And while he held up the slower, more family-oriented dinner times of farm life filled with conversation to be closer to ideal, he also encouraged that we take advantage of all of the smaller increments that we have in our faster paced lives. Those minutes may be in the carpool, the drive-thru line, or the bedtime rituals, but they are ours to use to the best of our ability. "Holy As a Day Is Spent" is a song by Carrie Newcomer that seemed to explain the whole concept very well. When she sings of "folding sheets like folding hands, to pray as only laundry can" or "the hymns of flying geese" it does paint a picture of allowing the oridinary to be holy.

God is everywhere. The world is crowded with God, but the real labor is to remember to attend and, in fact, to come awake."
CS Lewis

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are extraordinary! Not only in your majesty, but also in your transforming grace to bring all to holy wonder. In our ordinary tasks, let them be purposeful prayers. In our ordinary day, let us recognize the common as uncommon. And in our ordinary way, let us be a walking, talking, sharing witness of our growth towards a Christ-centered life. Amen

Holy is the place I stand, to give whatever small good I can
and the empty page, and the open book,
redemption everywhere I look
unknowingly we slow our pace, in the shade of unexpected grace
and with grateful smiles and sad lamentas holy as a day is spent
and morning light sings “providence”as holy as a day is spent
- "Holy As the Day Is Spent" Carrie Newcomer