Ordinary Time

SAT., JAN. 24, 1998, 7:40 AM
FARM, STUDY

If We both remember correctly this is the portion of the church year dubbed Ordinary Time. Advent and Christmas are over. The Savior has been anticipated… and born. It is not yet time for Lent, the time of sacrifice in anticipation of My decision, as Lord God, Jesus the Christ, and Holy Spirit, to offer My earth life as a sacrifice for you all. I took your sin upon Me, even yours, and you, as Bob Russell, weren’t even close to existence nearly 2,000 years ago.

I admit this isn’t a very exalted designation, but it may be “just about right” for this portion of the calendar year, in this hemisphere. It is not a time of great excitement and joy, as is the Christmas season in its culmination. Neither is it a time of sadness and woe over an unjust crucifixion. It is just “ordinary time”. In this winter season it maybe is, well, ordinary.

Yes see the snow falling outside, gently, but in more volume than when you started this Teaching. You have some concern about having enough ground corn, and, now, you see that you should have gotten it yesterday. But this may be, finally, an ordinary winter day in this part of the earth. You have had no heavy snow falls, but it is ordinary that you don’t, up till now. And it is ordinary that the ground be covered in white several times during these early months of the year.

For you, in this change in life-style that your Emeritus status has bestowed, cannot be sure what is “ordinary” and what is still unusual. This study still looks ordinarily messy and cluttered. Could this be a day, in ordinary time, to reduce such clutter… to clean this upper portion of the house, as you promised? Your firewood supply is not what it should be, but you have enough for an ordinary day or two of winter snow.

Our Ruminations is ready to be read and enjoyed (or objected to) by Our interesting group of “subscribers”. By this time you don’t expect much in the way of praise or criticism, but it is good when you do hear… something. Hear again, however, that We are not writing and sending this forth for reactions. For reasons of My Own I want to “use” these capacities and talents of yours for My purposes… and these aren’t important to you. Your task is to do this for Me, as well as you can, but without concern for “how good it is”. Each one is a gift to Me, and I can make use of it in uncounted ways. Just continue to be My servant.

( 8:19 / 12:50PM )

There is still some white on the ground and on limbs, but, also, much of the snow cover already has melted away. The first real snow fall of winter has yet to be seen, here in ordinary time. For you, at your age, this is both ordinary and extraordinary time. Your career has been completed, and it is unlikely that you’ll do much with the data for possible professional papers that I once encouraged. That aspect of your life does seem to be slipping away. And it should, given the understanding I have thrust on you as to what life truly is about.

Now you could conclude that you should have come to these views of life and health at an earlier time… as you’re helping some of your former students to do. Just comprehend that this just wasn’t as possible during the 1940’s-1980’s as it is now, and I wanted your career to be just about the way it went. Some who grasp this spiritual handle too early in life have a kind of “burnout”, and don’t end up at your age with quite the zeal you have. Know that zeal can be quiet and “monkish” as well as overt and demonstrative.