Review: Ordinary Time

June 24, 2026June 23, 2026 / rtrube54 / Leave a comment

Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time (Fullness of Time Series), Amy Peeler. InterVarsity Press | Formatio (ISBN: 9781514009680) 2026.

Summary: The significance of Ordinary Time within the church calendar and how it has been practiced and what it can mean for us.

“Jesus’ life would have included many ordinary days, days in which he was simply walking from one place to another.”

Amy Peeler, having visited the Holy Land, came to this realization. We tend to think of the big, redemptive events in Jesus’ life. But so much of life for him, as for us, was ordinary. There were days where Jesus, asked about what he did that day, may well have said, “Nothing.” And perhaps that is good. We need time to reflect upon the extraordinary, to allow it to work deep into the marrow of our lives.

In the development of the church’s liturgical year, the largest portion of time is apportioned to “ordinary time.” This includes the time between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday and from Pentecost to Advent. In this book, Amy Peeler explores the significance of Ordinary Time, and that it can be a different season of growth, quieter and deeper, amid the quotidian events of “normal life.” She observes that the weekly prayers (Propers) remind us of God’s provision in the challenged of life. And, positioned between the celebrations of Christ’s birth, and his death and resurrection, the lectionary frames our own progress through life within that of Christ’s.

After introducing the idea of Ordinary Time, Peeler uses seven words or phrases to capture the richness of this season.

Green. It’s the liturgical color of this season. Green signifies growth and reminds us of God’s work in us from baptism on in forming us to be more like Christ. We learn increasingly to walk in freedom rather than in slavery to sinful desires, patiently, day by day.

Bold. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, the Visitation, falls within Ordinary Time. But what was bold about this visit? It’s not in the women’s status, which is humble. Rather it is in Mary’s “Magnificat” that boldly proclaims God’s sovereignty that topples the powerful and exalts the humble. And not only that, it is the prayer used daily in evening prayers. The church joins in the bold proclamation of the greatness of our Lord.

Triune. The first Sunday after Pentecost, the first of Ordinary Time is Trinity Sunday. The doctrine is complex. But our worship reminds us that our call is not to master this doctrine but to celebrate the Three in One. Peeler then reflects how the Ordinary Season is laced with affirmations of the being and activity of the Triune God, culminating in weekly Eucharistic prayers.

Feast. Peeler reflects on her move from Baptist to Anglican churches. Far from weekly celebrations of the Eucharist being perfunctory, she walks through the service, and describes her own awe in officiating.

Image of God. This chapter and the next two consider the Genesis accounts of Abraham. Not only do Abraham and Sarah and Hagar see God, but God sees them. He sees his chosen, created in his image. And thus, these stories challenge us to affirm God’s image in others and ourselves.

Trust. While God promises a child to Abraham and Sarah, they act in untrusting and unseemly ways with Hagar and Ishmael. Yet God works in what seems a tragic situation to teach each of them to trust him. Then Peeler invites us to consider how we are learning to trust God.

Gratitude. So, how do we come to gratitude in the test in which Abraham obeys the command of God to sacrifice Isaac, only for God to restrain him and direct him to a ram? For Peeler, the answer is in how it previews the work of Christ. God does what he prevents Abraham from doing. While that is indeed cause for thanksgiving, I wonder about other elements of Peeler’s account. At very least, there is a question of whether Isaac returned with Abraham and his servants. Genesis 22:19 mentions only Abraham returning to the servants. In Genesis 24:62, he is living in the Negev, separate from Abraham. I still wonder if Isaac was the willing victim, or whether there was a struggle. The text is silent, but I note that afterwards, Isaac separates from Abraham.

Peeler concludes with Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent. The feast reminds us, amidst the kingdoms of the world, of Christ’s coming rule, toward which we live every day.

This book is a marvelous guide to Ordinary Time. It is not time when nothing is happening, where we mark the days until Advent or Lent. Rather it is the time we grow quietly in our identity as God’s image bearers. It is a time to grow more like Christ in trust and thanksgiving as we regularly partake of Christ. We learn to see the Trinity woven through the church’s life and to boldly hope and witness to the work of the sovereign King.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Advent

December 2, 2025December 1, 2025 / rtrube54 / Leave a comment

Advent

Advent: The Season of Hope, (Fullness of Time series), Tish Harrison Warren. IVP Formatio (ISBN: 9781514000182) 2023.

Summary: Explores how we may wait with hope around the three advents of Christ, offering themes, prayers, and helpful practices.

I grew up in a tradition that didn’t focus on Advent. At all. Getting ready for Christmas was about presents, decorating, family plans, Christmas music and going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at my church where we sang “Silent Night” by the light of hand held candles. That was it.

Only in recent years have I learned about the rhythm of the Christian year that begins with the season of Advent. Or come to appreciate the focus on the comings of Jesus, of his Incarnation and return. As I’ve done so, I find myself longing for a third coming–in my life as I encounter Jesus afresh. I want to meet Jesus afresh as I begin this new year in the life of his people!

I was delighted to find these same yearnings in Tish Harrison Warren’s thoughtfully written little book on Advent. This is where she begins–with our yearnings for the three Advents of Jesus. She describes her own awakening understanding of this season with “its quiet beauty and doleful hymns” that reflects our waiting in “darkness before we celebrate the dawn.”

Then in a chapter on longing, she centers on four themes of Advent: waiting and hope, darkness and light, repentance and rest, and emptiness and filling. Following this, she discusses two prophets of Advent who prepared the way of the Lord–Isaiah and John the Baptist. Scripture readings from these two prophets are a focus of the lectionary readings for this season. Warren focuses on cosmic rescue in Isaiah and cosmic justice in the prophecy of John.

In the fourth chapter, titled “Stirrings,” Warren reflects on four collects, or short prayers from the Book of Common Prayer, used during Advent. Particularly illuminating for me was the fourth, a prayer that God would “stir up his power.” She links it to Mary and the Magnificat, a focus of the scripture readings, with her being overshadowed by the power of the Most High. Mary willingly yielded her self to that power, to be the instrument of God’s deliverance, through her son.

The fifth chapter is on “Approaching,” which offers eight practices for Advent. However, Warren doesn’t legislate these but relates her own practice. Rather than rules, these are invitations. Nor does she have rules about when to decorate or when it’s OK to play Christmas music.

Warren writes, “Part of why we observe Advent is to make Christmas weird again, to allow the shock of the incarnation to take us aback once more.” “The most wonderful time of the year” can only really make sense when we emerge from the darkness. Only in longing for deliverance can the wonder of the babe who is the world’s deliverer make sense.

Summing it all up, Warren offers a thoughtfully written guide to our own Advent journey. So, I will be reading the book again with several friends as I wait with longing and hope.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Easter

April 7, 2025April 6, 2025 / rtrube54 / 1 Comment

Easter (Fullness of Time Series), Wesley Hill. IVP Formatio (ISBN: 9781514000366) 2025.

Summary: Explores the history and significance of Easter, not only as a day but as a season of celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

“He is risen!” “He is risen indeed”

This call and response captures the incredible news of Easter, that the crucified One lives, that death is defeated, and in Him, we live. Yet, amid our flurry of Easter finery and family gatherings, the words lose their import. There is even a danger that they will become “ho-hum.”

That’s why the reading of Wesley Hill’s Easter was so good for me. Hill explores the history, traditions and significance of our Eastertide celebrations. And did you notice I said “Eastertide”? Easter isn’t one day of celebration after the forty days of Lent. It is a season of fifty days, filled with the appearances of the risen Lord, his restorative and commissioning work with the apostles, his ascension, culminating in Pentecost. In sum, it is a season of celebration and in this slim volume, Wesley Hill walks us through that season.

He begins with the Easter Vigils some churches hold where believers gather in the darkness of waiting. New believers are baptized, and then with the rising of the sun, the proclamation “He is risen!” rings forth to the accompaniment of noisemakers. Let the celebrations begin!

Hill takes us back to the first Easter and to the resurrection appearances, first to Mary and the other women, to most of the gathered disciple, then to Thomas, and finally the lakeside restoration of Peter, the repentant betrayer. He then explores the implication of the resurrection, that “we shall also live with Him.” He reminds us of our baptism, the picture of cleansing, dying, and resurrection as an ongoing reality into which we live. Hill delves into the history of how Easter became one of the “moveable feasts” of the church and all the ways saints have celebrated it. Hill then recounts how the proclamation of the resurrection has turned the world upside down throughout history.

Finally, the concluding chapters reflect on the significance of the Ascension and Pentecost. He notes how we’ve neglected the meaning of the Ascension. In ascending, the risen Lord takes up his rule over all things. Not only that, but as the Incarnate lord, he presents our humanity to the Father, going before us. Then, in Pentecost, we celebrate that Jesus has kept his promise to always be with us. He sends his Holy Spirit to indwell and empower us.

This slim volume makes for perfect devotional reading for Eastertide. Hill combines story with historical and theological reflection. And he invites us into a celebration lasting not one day but fifty. Most of all, he reminds us of how the awesome event of the resurrection turns the world upside down.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.