Walking the Dog in Ordinary Time
Harry Pawter
In January of last year, my family adopted a puppy. For all the dog lovers out there, his name is Harry, and he is a mini-Australian shepherd (picture attached). Dogs like Harry are smart, far smarter than the dogs I had as a kid (who, due to overexcitement, once peed in the lap of our senior pastor).
One of Harry’s most impressive tricks is that he can tell time. It is our nightly routine to take a walk around 7 pm, and, if it starts to get too far past walking-time, he’ll let me know it. Harry doesn’t care if I’m trying to pay bills, washing up after dinner, or enjoying a little down time, it’s walking-time, and we have a routine to keep. “Bark, bark, bark,” says the dog. “Bark, bark, bark,” until I finally put on his leash and set off down the street.
This insistence to keep the routine can sometimes be annoying, but most of the time I am happy for the two of us to be outside enjoying the evening display. Over the last year and some months, I’ve witnessed more sunsets, storm clouds, ducklings, turtles, and fireflies than the previous 5 years combined. I’ve watched the grass grow tall and the flowers bloom. And often I’ll find myself on these walks in prayer and thanksgiving to God.
As Episcopalians, the benefit of a well-worn routine is not lost on us. Week after week we work our way through the readings and prayers of another year. We tell each other the story, Jesus’ story and our story, once again, one more time. And as we make our way through the liturgical seasons, we find that the story still inspires us, still has new and beautiful things for us to discover. We find that it’s a story still worth telling.
As the days heat up, telling us summer is here, we enter the part of the story, liturgically speaking, that some call “Ordinary Time” and others “after Pentecost.” It’s the long stretch before we get to Advent, when we’ll start waiting for Jesus to come (and then all the excitement of Christmas will come). It’s hardly the most glamourous period of the church, but it’s also not a throwaway period either. It’s a time where we, like all of the church after Pentecost, have opportunity to grow into who we are called to be by imitating the lived reality of Jesus. We have seen the risen Christ; we have received the Holy Spirit; now we must take these gifts into the world, living out our faith in our everyday actions.
Much like Harry's insistent reminder to keep to our walks, this liturgical period encourages us to remain steadfast in our spiritual routines. In the simplicity of these “ordinary days” (I write that knowing that VBS and Bible Builders are in the weeks ahead), I hope you will look for opportunities to witness God's presence in the routines of your life, remembering that there is profound grace and meaning to be discovered.
Grace and peace,
Tim Jenkins
