On the 2nd of June - we twirl thankfully into 'ordinary time'. Not Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent Passiontide, Easter, Ascensiontide, or Pentecost – just 'Ordinary time'.
The extraordinary story of our salvation has been told once again in Morley with Smalley and Breadsall. Our telling hasn't been perfect. Those of you who were at our Ascension day service would agree, our singing of the ancient hymn 'Come Holy Spirit - was unusual to say the least.– but one way or another, across the land, vicars and congregations arrive with a sigh of relief into Ordinary time.
Until, that is, the reality of what we have done percolates, twirls even, through our exhaustion. We have set out our stall – and now we need to walk the talk, we need to discover again, what trusting ourselves to this story, means for ordinary us, in the time that is ordinary to us. Some of us are called to great things, heroic deeds and sacrifice. Most of us are called to steadily shaping the daily things, the choices we make, hour by ordinary hour. Aligning the time that is given to us, to love.
I was pondering this as I quietly ate a Twirl. I was eating it quietly because there are two sticks to your average Twirl, so it would be likely for someone who overheard me opening it, to think it might easily be shared. That is not the case. A Twirl is not easily shared. Sadly? Gloriously?, the challenge of my discipleship landed before I had started the second half.