Now that Pentecost Sunday (held this year on June 8) has passed, the 50-day season of Easter is officially over. Of course, we continue to celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection year-round. Christ's resurrection is key to our identity as Christians. We now enter into one of two times of the Christian year known as "Ordinary Time." The other period of Ordinary Time comes after Epiphany in January and February (and occasionally into a little bit of March when Easter is late).
This current period of Ordinary Time lasts from Sunday June 15 all the way through Sunday November 23. Just a little more than five months—that's almost half a year! (Last year, the period of Ordinary Time after Pentecost lasted a full 6 months since Easter was early.) It may be a lengthy time of year, but it will be far from ordinary. We will have various celebrations and commemorations along the way, including: Father's Day, Fourth of July, back to school, Labor Day, Reformation Day, All Saint's Day, and Veterans Day, to name a few.
After November 23 we'll be ready to start a new Christian year with the beginning of Advent on Sunday November 30. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's not rush things. Let's enjoy the summer in all its fullness. We will certainly encounter plenty of joys and blessings over the next 5 months at McMurry.
When you take a vacation this summer, don't forget to take McMurry with you. Anywhere you have a device and an internet connection, you can watch our weekly worship services on Facebook—it doesn't have to be on Sunday morning. Please see me or any tech savvy person if you need help figuring it out. May God bless us as we continue our journey through the Christian year. See you in church!
Grace & Peace
Pastor Clayton