The Season After Pentecost
The numbered weeks after Pentecost are sometimes referred to as “Ordinary Time” because these weeks of the year are not associated with specific seasons. In the northern hemisphere, they have been connected with growth and fruitfulness in the Christian life. We understand that through our “ordinary” lives is how we live out our Christian faith.
Personal Prayer
This is a season for learning about your faith as you discover whether you have eyes that will see and ears that will hear, trying your best to follow Jesus with the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the ways of justice, peace, and loving service.
- How can you keep focused on God in the ordinary times of your life?
- Where can you find God during vacation and personal Sabbath?
- What opportunities present themselves to you where you can attend to your spiritual growth?
An Outline of the Faith
Commonly called the Catechism, this is an outline of instruction cast in the tradition question and answer form. It is a point of departure for exploring the beliefs and practices of The Episcopal Church. The following areas are especially appropriate to study during this season. It begins on page 845 of the BCP.
- Prayer and Worship
- The Sacraments
- The Church
- The Holy Scriptures
It is the season of the Spirit. It is a season to celebrate and give thanks for the creation and all the beauty and other gifts of nature. It is a time for thoughtful and reverend stewardship of creation through its use and care. It is a time to recall the history of God’s people and the ways God’s prophetic Spirit, calling, and wisdom came to them. It is a season when Jesus’ promise that “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” is fulfilled. (John 14:26) How can you continue to be present with and for God in this season when life slows down and going to church weekly may not be your practice?
Reflection on God’s Action in Daily Life
We remain Easter people, now with the wind of the Holy Spirit in our sails. Our task for the months ahead in this season of Ordinary Time, which extends to the end of November, is to look at what Jesus so tenaciously taught his disciples and to see what is in these teachings for us as we carry out the work we have been given to do. Jesus promised his disciples a helper, an Advocate, who would stand with them making the work possible. This same helper, the Holy Spirit, hovers over us still eager to quench the fire of fear and replace it with the powerful energy of love.
- How can you allow the unexpected initiative of God to burst through the ordinary, the predictable, and the unlikely?
- What practice can you begin during these days to go about God’s mission in the world?
Things To Do
- Plant an herb garden using the herbs mentioned in the Bible. Dry the herbs in the fall and use them for cooking or decorations.
- Relive the entire church year, Advent to Pentecost, devoting a week to each season.
- Identify issues in your community in which you’d like to become more active with. How as a Christian, can you respond to situations in need?
The Prayer Book Guide to Christian Education 