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Brothers and sisters,

We are entering an interesting time of the church year this coming Sunday. We are entering Ordinary Time. Now, you may read that and think, “What is he talking about?” Basically, the church year is divided into two halves. Starting on the First Sunday of Advent and running through Trinity Sunday, the church calendar is in a pretty consistent rhythm of anticipation and celebration. Advent anticipates the celebration of Christmas. Lent anticipates the celebration of Easter. There are a few Sundays between the end of Christmastide and the beginning of Lent, but for the most part, that first half of the church year is spent in those two modes: anticipation and celebration.

Now, however, we enter the second half, a long stretch of Ordinary Time that, this year, ends with Christ the King Sunday on November 22nd. On a practical level, that means the paraments on the pulpit and the communion table will be green through November 15th (Christ the King Sunday gets white paraments). On a pastoral level, that means that I’ll have a little more freedom in what kinds of sermon series I want to preach and which passages I want to preach from.

But, you may read the name for this season, “Ordinary Time,” and think, “Well, that just seems condescending. Yes, Christmas and Easter are special, but ‘ordinary time’ makes this part of the year just sound…boring.” While there is some debate on where the name came from, the most common explanation is not that the church thinks these Sundays are “boring”. Rather, they are “ordinal” numbers, that is, they tell us how long it’s been since Pentecost. So, for example, this Sunday, June 7th is liturgically known as the “Second Sunday after Pentecost.” That continues until November 22nd, the “Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost” aka “Christ the King Sunday”. These numbers keep track of where we are in the church calendar.

Now, what that means for us as individual believers is simple—this time of the year is one meant for exploration. There’s no pressure to be preparing for Christmas and all its celebration. The quiet reflection of Lent and the pomp and circumstance of Easter Sunday have faded. We are entering a time of the church year when we can meander through Paul’s letters if we want to. We can spend some time reading stories about Abraham or Moses or David. We can challenge ourselves with some of Jesus’ harder teachings (think the Parable of the Dishonest Manager). And in so doing, we have the unique opportunity to draw closer to God in ways that feel uniquely personal. Where is God leading you during Ordinary Time? Which books, which passages, which characters is the Holy Spirit guiding you toward? Or, which part of Jesus’ life is compelling you these next twenty-five weeks? If you’ll seek God’s guidance, this time will be anything but ordinary.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

By the time you’re reading this article, I will hopefully be done with some of the most tedious parts of moving into a new place. It’s not the packing up I find the most tedious. Nor is it even the unpacking of boxes that gets to me (that can be weirdly fun, i.e., “What’s in this box? Oh! That thing!”). No, the most tedious parts of moving into a new place, in my opinion, are laying down contact paper in all the shelves and cabinets, getting everything cleaned, and deciding where everything is going to go in the kitchen.

First of all, while I recognize the importance of using contact paper to line shelves, it is persnickety and the paper loves to bubble up, fold up, or stick to itself. All I’m trying to do is lay it flat; why won’t it lay down?! Then, there’s all the cleaning that comes with getting a new place. Running cleaning cycles for the dishwasher, the washing machine, the dryer. Cleaning the bathroom and getting it ready to be used. Wiping down all that contact paper in all those shelves while ignoring all the egregious folds and bubbles. Cleaning dishes, glasses, silverware, cooking utensils, pots, pans, and more! And then deciding where everything will go so it’s in the easiest place to get to while cooking, maximizing ease of use without minimizing counter space. It’s … a lot.

But once it’s all done, it’s amazing the sense of peace that settles in. A kitchen that has been fully prepped is a wonder-ful thing to behold. Y’all know that I like to cook and it is amazing how relaxing it can be to walk into a kitchen and know, “I have everything I need. It is here, at my fingertips.” Weeknight meals come together quickly. Friends can casually chat as the cooking happens. And holiday gatherings are so much easier when the kitchen feels like it is actively helping you. Taking the time to set things in order makes extraordinary things possible.

When I think about what it means to be a Christian, I believe there are certain basic things we have to set out first, things that must be done before moving on to more complicated, extravagant theology. We believe that God is the Creator of all things in this world. We believe that God created human beings and called them, “very good.” We believe that even though all people have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, God still loves them. We believe that the kingdom of God is not just a place far off, in another time and place. We believe that because of Jesus, his life, his death, and his resurrection, the powers that would hold humanity back have been defeated. These are basics, yes. They are nowhere near as annoying to lay down as contact paper, but once these basics have been laid down, more beautiful theological convictions become possible.

Because God created all people and loves all of them, we Christians have the audacity to believe all people deserve respect and dignity. Because we have been convicted of our own sins and found that God’s grace is sufficient, we can build community with people others might steer us away from. Because of the stories of Je-sus’ ministry, we know how to reject ideas that would deny the image of God in another per-son. By the way, the most effective way I’ve found to address those ideas that would tell us another person is unworthy of love, respect, dignity is to simply ask, “Would Jesus love that person?” If the answer is, “Yes,” then my faith actively moves to help me say, “Then I will love them, too.” And, thanks be to God, the answer to that question is always, “Yes.” Lay the foundations and extraordinary faith becomes possible.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

This week’s article is pretty simply summed up by saying, “Thank you.”

First of all, thank you to everyone who participated in Operation Inasmuch. Because of your support we were able to put together over a dozen “Thinking of You” bags for those church members who cannot come to the church as often as they’d like. Those bags included some freshly baked cookies from our congregation!

In addition to those, we were able to put together one hundred “Community Bags” to give out to our friends and neighbors here in Durham who are struggling. As I write this article, there are still plenty of bags that need to be distributed. So, when you come to church on Sunday, be sure to stop by the vestibule and take a couple to keep in your car. When you see someone on the corner, on the median —wherever — who needs some help, you can offer them that bag and let them know they are loved.

Also, thank you to the volunteers who went to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC on April 28th! That group of volunteers continues to represent our church well by reaching out to folks in need.

Thank you as well to the children, the children’s ministry, and the music ministry here at Hope Valley for taking a trip to Carolina Reserve to sing for the residents there. I know you all brightened their day.

Finally, on behalf of myself and my family, thank you all for the celebration this past Sunday. The luncheon itself was a wonderful time of fellowship together. It is hard to believe it has already been five years since I came to Hope Valley Baptist Church. We’ve had plenty of wonderful times together reaching out to our community, helping those in need, celebrating the goodness of God, and lifting one another up. We’ve also endured plenty of difficult moments in the life of the church, the wider world, and in my own personal life. I’m grateful for all of you and the ways God has continued to bring us together. Thank you for Sunday. May we continue to seek God together and live faithfully according to our call as Christians.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben