January 26, 2009 Ordinary Time

Ever hear the term “ordinary time”? We are, actually approaching the 4th week in just that category. What does it mean, and what does it matter?

THE VOICE is the Internet web site of CRI/Voice Institute, “a global and ecumenical ministry dedicated to providing biblical and theological resources for growing Christians.” According to their article by Dennis Bratcher, “ordinary time” on the church calendar is used to classify the parts of the year that don’t revolve around Christmas and Easter. Because of the magnitude of these two seasons’ holiness, when Jesus Christ was born and when he was crucified and resurrected, everything else is “ordinary.”

Actually, Bratcher points out that “rather than meaning ‘common’ or ‘mundane,’ this term comes from the word ‘ordinal,’ which simply means counted time. Thus, if a Sunday isn’t, say, the Second Sunday in Advent or the Third Sunday after Pentecost, it is simply denoted in “ordinary time.”

To use the word in a different way, however, we are living in anything BUT an “ordinary” time. We could look at many signs of this in the political realm—who would have thought, even a decade ago, that America would elect a black president?—but one significant event on God’s timeline in modern history occurred before many of us was born.

“Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be delivered in one moment?” wrote the prophet Isaiah (66:8) 800 years before Christ. The natural response would be that no, of course a nation wouldn’t be born so quickly…but that is just what transpired on May 14, 1948 when the nation of Israel was formed. It is a fascinating study of perseverance and miraculous intervention, should you want to look further into it.

Focus on Israel tends to ebb and flow within the Church, but I encourage you to read what the Word says about Israel and the Jewish people. Isaiah and Romans are good places to start so that you can knowledgeably answer those who say ridiculous things like “Jews are no longer the chosen people” or even quote scripture to promote anti-Semitism.

Yes, the crowd of Jews cried for Jesus’ crucifixion, and yes, they said “Let his blood be on our heads and heads of our children!”(See Matthew 27:25) But in a few hours, Jesus said, from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”(Luke 23:24) Which statement do you think the Father paid more attention to?

The world hates Jews because it’s the closest thing they can do to hating Jesus—a Jew, the King of the Jews, the Jewish Messiah. One day…perhaps not so far off in these anything-but-ordinary-times…the world will boldly announce its hatred of followers of Jesus as well.

In the meantime, it’s important to realize that God will never forsake us, just as he will never forsake Israel. Whatever else we may understand or question about politics, we need to understand that Jerusalem is still at the center of what God is accomplishing in this world. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as Psalm 122 instructs, and pray that America continues to stand with Israel in the days to come.