What's Ordinary about Ordinary Time? (The First Sunday after Trinity)

Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (Galatians 3:23-25)

We’ve had all the big seasons of the Christian year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday – all over and finished with until the next cycle begins. So what next? Today we’re in Ordinary time. Doesn’t sound terribly inspiring, does it? Weeks we can gloss over. And yet, this Ordinary time doesn’t have to be quite so ordinary!

This Ordinary time is the time of year when we think about the implications of our faith: we’ve responded to all the big themes our faith; we’ve believed the gospel; we’ve received Jesus as Lord; we’ve welcomed the infilling of the Holy Spirit; but now - what do I do with all this belief? Ordinary time reminds us that faith is about more than just knowing the facts. Faith has to be lived out, in our daily lives. We are challenged to listen - to discern – and maybe even wrestle with what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. How do we live out our faith: the reality of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, as individuals and as a church family? Ordinary time invites us to grow in our relationship with God and with one another.

Where better place to begin than in Galatians 3? Here, Paul is explaining the change that comes over us when we begin to follow Jesus. “Now that the way faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”

It’s all about faith, not law.

“Now that faith has come”: something significant has happened to us. The law was given, under the Old Covenant, to ‘guard us’. It is no longer necessary. A guardian’s purpose is to protect us – to prevent us from coming to harm. Such was the law. It was intended to keep us in a ‘right relationship’ with God. Now, we have a better way. Now, we have faith in Christ Jesus - an infinitely superior way of relating to God. The reality of a living relationship with God, which, with all the goodwill in the world, we were never going to achieve by trying to keep the law, is ours because of our faith in Jesus Christ. This is God’s grand design for us – His purpose in sending Jesus to live on earth, to suffer, to die, and to rise to new life. This is God’s way of bringing us into His kingdom. We could never achieve it through the law, but now this new life is freely given to us through faith in Jesus Christ!

The function of the law, says Paul, was to keep us in line. It was a diagnostic tool. The law was about disciplining us. It didn’t change hearts.

But now that faith has come, our hearts have changed. We live by faith – as Christians this is what defines us.  

But there is a problem. Christ may have come, but we are still human. We are all too well aware of our shortcomings. We try to do our best, to do what is right; to love our neighbours; to follow min the way of holiness. But we don’t always get it right! There may well be times when we want to scream, “I can’t do it! I’m too human! I can’t live this new life that Jesus offers to us!”

So, what do we do? The answer is closer than it seems. It’s all to do with a tiny preposition.

 “Into”.

“All who have been united with Christ into baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes,” (Galatians 3:27).

We are baptised “into” Christ. Such a tiny word, yet it makes all the difference.

The Holy Spirit is telling us there is hope. Baptism is a process of transformation. “…like putting on new clothes.” We’re getting dressed – putting on our Sunday best. We may not feel ready to meet with Christ yet – we’re a work in progress, but the process has begun. Christ is doing His work in us.

By being baptized into Christ, we are allowing Christ to take responsibility for our lives; allowing Christ’s will to replace our wills. Christ himself is dressing us in the new robes of His kingdom. We have become a part of his family.

This is no ordinary moment. In fact, it is quite extra-ordinary! Now our lives are bound up “into” Christ. The adventure of living the Christian life has begun!