Preaching in Ordinary Time Doesn’t Have to be ‘Ordinary’
By Dr. Suzanne Nawrocki, Institute for Homiletics Coach:
According to Merriam-Webster, ordinary means “to be expected,” “usual,” or “of a common kind.” In everyday speech, we often use the word to describe something that is neither exceptionally good nor exceptionally bad — “ordinary” means simply average, routine, or “just okay.”
But in the liturgical calendar, Ordinary Time means something quite different. The word comes from “ordinal,” as in numbers arranged in sequence. During these Sundays, instead of selecting scripture passages specifically for liturgical feasts, the Church journeys through Scripture in an ordered way.
The introductory notes in the Lectionary remind us that these readings are carefully paired. The First Reading and the Gospel are linked in one of three ways: complementary, foretelling, or supplemental. The Psalm responds to the First Reading and, by nature, also creates a bridge to the Gospel reading. What may seem ordinary is actually extraordinarily interconnected.
The challenge for many preachers, however, is that these readings can feel over-familiar. So, one way to handle this overfamiliarity in the Ordinary Season is not to change the message, but to change the form through which that message is proclaimed. That will help to keep your preaching fresh. How do we do that?