Inch by inch

Ordinary. That is what we commonly call the season of the church calendar we are currently in. We have celebrated the beautiful and mysterious season of Christ's birth and we are awaiting the holy and reverent season of Lent. So, ordinary-- nothing special, right? There's no, pageantry or stories of mystical guys appearing in a flash of blinding light.

But consider this, in the roughly three months between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, we will cover 33 years of Jesus' life. Imagine condensing 33 years of your life into 12 weeks. It may not seem like a difficult task but let's take sometime to think about what Christ accomplished in 33 years. The first 30 or so years of Jesus' life are a mystery aside from his trip to the temple at the age of 12. So that's easy. But then there was the wedding at Cana-- Jesus first miracle. It didn't make big waves at the time. The next step is to John the Baptist, a formidable force in his time, baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River and God descending as a dove to proclaim Jesus as his beloved son. People start to talk about this new prophet. Was he who he said? Or would he be like all the others? Quickly, Jesus gains followers, performs miracles, preaches God's word. Soon he'll be labeled as a rebel by those in authority. Dangerous. A heretic. They begin to call him teacher, as do his followers, but not out of respect. Rather, they mock him.

Jesus starts to reveal more to his closest followers. That he is more than a prophet, he is the lamb of God and will be the ultimate sacrifice. That his time on Earth is limited. That they need to learn all they can and grow with him so they can carry on once he has left his mortal self behind. They need to GROW. Like a mustard seed. Have the faith of a child, whose faith is limitless.

When my mom taught Sunday school several years ago, we also referred to growing time. Green, the color used during this season, is a symbol for growth. It's a time for all of us to remind ourselves what the foundation of our faith is. The big events are essential to our faith but the teachings of Jesus are what make us who we truly are. We can look to those lessons in times of struggle and joy. They give us reassurance and comfort. When we have questions, these are stories are far from ordinary. They are extraordinary.

Seems a shame to cram it all in to to three months doesn't it? But instead of rushing through it, let's take this time to grow in our faith. Sit down with your families and read the words of Jesus. The words that he lived. It make make things seem a little less ordinary.