Daily Devotionals
November 27, 2017
Ordinary Time
November 27, 2017
DAILY READING
This weekend’s reading: Isaiah 64:1-9
FIELD NOTES
Are you aware that we are experiencing ‘ordinary time’ in the church, the time set aside for celebrating our call to follow Jesus day by day as his disciples [Loyola Press]? Liturgically, the church year is ending. Advent, in which we will begin again our journey with Christ through his life and ministry, begins Sunday, December 3, 2017.
Typically, we use the New Year’s passing as a touchstone for reflection, but I wondered if the more powerful and interesting point of reflection might not come as we celebrate Christ as King [last Sunday before Advent] and consider where our spiritual journey has taken us.
To my ear, the text in Revelation describes something coming to an end and yet that ‘new’ thing sounds like ‘beginning’.
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”… He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
The Bible begins with the story of creation [Alpha] and ends with a vision of God’s kingdom [Omega]. It is a container, a frame, and a context embracing our spiritual lives, our whole lives, really. Birth and death…time marked intermittently with high holy remembrance and celebration, but primarily lived in counted, ordinary time. Perhaps this week before Advent begins, we can take stock of our journey as a disciple, and consider those places in our lives in which God can work to ‘make all things new.’
QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD
- When have you spent time in the past reflecting on your spiritual growth?
- What value/treasure might you find in doing so this week?
FAMILY FIELD TALK
- As families, we often mark physical growth on a doorframe in the house. How could you mark spiritual growth in your family?
- Where have you seen the light of Christ in one another?
PRAYER GUIDE
Holy Father, Magnificent Lord, Gentle Spirit, Wise Teacher, Ruler, Companion, Comforter, accompany my journey as I seek to move closer to you, as though my destination were home. Amen.