This Is Anything But Ordinary

Above is an original piece of art by my friend Katy Medinas-Lockley. With theological curiosity, she has been creating images that capture the life of the Christian calendar. This piece is a series of 21 images called Ordinary Time.

Click on the image to see more of her work,

or

Tell me what this imagine speaks for you and I’ll pass it on to Katy!

For anyone wondering, Ordinary Time is the season of the Christian year that begins after Pentecost and continues until Advent. It's a long stretch of the year, covering 21 weeks.

The word ordinary can sound plain or uneventful, but I've always appreciated this season for a different reason. After the great celebrations and milestones of the Christian story, Ordinary Time invites us to keep growing. To keep showing up. To keep becoming who God is calling us to be.

That's why Katy's image of a plant sprouting a new leaf each week speaks to me. In Christ's light, we grow, reaching new places and new people.

It makes me think about us at KUMC. In the months I've been here, this is how I've seen us. Not necessarily a brand-new plant beginning from seed, but a cutting from a mature plant—growing new roots in new soil and beginning again.

And we've grown well!

So thank you. Thank you for:

welcoming me and my family,

trusting this process,

embracing change,

being excited about new possibilities,

and risking what is familiar for the sake of new neighbors.

I've enjoyed all of my time with you—ordinary and extraordinary alike—and I'm looking forward to the years ahead!

As always, I want to invite you to join me in giving thanks. So many people have generously shared their time, talents, resources, and love to help this church flourish. Would you take a moment this week to thank someone who has helped KUMC grow?

From My Heart, Rev. Steph Margeson