In the liturgical church world, we are back in green time, Ordinary time. Green time is actually my favorite time, and that’s good because there is so much of it. The “seasons” of the church world differ from the routine seasons. First, we begin our church calendar at the end of November or the beginning of December with Advent, followed by Christmastime which ends with Epiphany. In Louisiana that marks the beginning of Mardi Gras season, but for the church it marks this brief time of Ordinary time, just marking the time until another big season of the church. Because of the lateness of Easter this year, this is a particularly long Ordinary time, so there are more occasions to look into the actions of Jesus.
I was not aware until I began this focus on the lectionary, that the second Sunday in Ordinary time always includes a reading from the Gospel of John. The lectionary is a three year cycle, and one year focuses on Matthew, one on Mark and one on Luke. John does not get its own year, but is scattered throughout each of the three year cycle particularly during the special seasons, and apparently, the second Sunday in Ordinary time. As you look and read the four text passages for this week (Isaiah, the Psalm, 1 Corinthians, and the Gospel of John, the continuous thread seems to be “If you knew whose you are…” Those sorts of messages are hidden throughout our life. People tell us “those that don’t know history are condemned to repeat it.” “If you knew what was going to happen you might not have done that.” “Just wait til your father get’s home.” That one doesn’t really fit, but it says a lot more about me than the others.
If you knew whose you are, then you would know what you could or should do. Each of the readings has that hope in them, if you realized who you are to God, then you would know what you could or should do. Even John the Baptistizer gets in on it. John declares that he knew God was sending someone, and John was aware that it wasn’t him, but it wasn’t sure, until God said, that it was his cousin, Jesus. John knew whose he was, and knew what he was to do. And he did it, as did Jesus. The text continues with Jesus selecting the twelve. All guys that weren’t really sure, whose they were or what they should do until much later. But thankfully not too late.
Do you know whose you are? Really. Do you live that way? Really. Do you live that way so that others know whose you are? Really. Then you know. You know what you should do.
That is a thin place.
searchingforthinplaces 