Sacred Ordinary
When I hear the words ‘Sacred Ordinary’ I am reminded of two things that I feel embody this phrase:1 - I am reminded of the passage in Romans 12:1. An inspiration passage for many of my very first yoga classes that were shared with others in church auditoriums or in people's living rooms filled with friends, this verse sharing the idea of taking your ordinary life and living it for God comes flooding through my mind...
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Romans 12:1 The Message
2 - I am reminded of God’s Loving Presence always with us. Always. Nothing can separate us from God. And not just that, that Love lives WITHIN us, and us, within God. Another section of scripture that has been the guiding verses for many yoga offerings floods my mind and heart.
“May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith.And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].” Ephesians 3:16-19 Amplified
Or, as one of my favourite translations, the Passion Translation, says...
“Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!”
This pairing of ideas seem to fit together like the final two pieces of a puzzle. When they are finally fit together, the puzzle becomes complete. Like completing a puzzle in real life, we get to lean back, take it all in, smile as we feel the joy of completion and relish in the work done as we enjoy just being present to the moment.
As we go through life, we can often divide things up; this is my morning routine, I have my work-life, my friendships, my deeper relationships, my chores and tasks, my dreams, my spiritual life, my physical health, my mental health, etc. Within these separate parts, there are times you clearly see what we often perceive as the seemingly separated parts of life almost as a venn diagram overlapping; mental health and physical health, work-life and friendships. But then there are things we often can’t imagine ever finding overlap, unless it’s in the form of ministry volunteer work, like taking out the trash and our spiritual lives.
But what if these things were connected to our spiritual life?
What if our life, just being and existing, allowed us to consider everything as an opportunity to remember God’s loving presence with us, available for us to rest into, to get energy and strength from, as a shoulder to cry on or as one to dance and celebrate with?
What if, instead of viewing the multifaceted parts of our lives as bubbles on a page that may overlap in some areas and not in others, we imagined the page itself is our very being, sacred in and of itself, because we are animated by the breath of God? How does that change how we go about washing the dishes and going for a hike, and laughing with friends, and having hard conversations with our loved ones?
When I think of Sacred Ordinary, this is what I think of:
I think of remembering God is with me as I make my bed.
That God’s Love resides within me and I can pour that out in kindness and generosity.
That when I’m having a rough day or am feeling tired, that God is with me and I can just close my eyes and imagine God’s love radiating through me as a place of rest.
That when I crave rest itself, I can step out into nature and watch the wind rustle the leaves of the trees and enjoy resting in God’s creation.
That when I’m driving my car and frustrated at traffic, I can remember that we are all loved so deeply by God and I don’t have the slightest clue the hardships everyone else is going through so why not extend grace?
When Kimee and I began brainstorming a spreadsheet-worth of possible themes for the upcoming Yoga and Contemplation retreat happening on Saturday, August 24th, Sacred Ordinary was one that stood out to both of us.
We currently find ourselves in Ordinary Time. In the Christian Calendar, that is the time between Easter and Advent where we aren’t celebrating a mystery of our faith like Easter or Advent. Instead of celebration, it’s ordinary living. When Kimee and I were talking about Ordinary Time, she said that this is the time where we best live out our faith and follow Christ. It’s the time of everyday life that isn’t filled quickly with devotionals, church pageants, and times of life where gatherings take our time and energy. It’s the daily. It’s making dinner day in and day out, cancelled plans due to weather, mowing the lawn, running to Target.
And this, this every day life we live, is where we live out our faith.
It’s where we explore our relationship with God.
It’s where we take each moment and remember God is present with us.
We don’t need to ‘find God’ or ‘invite God in’, as if God is hiding from us, we remember God is present with us, we become aware of God’s presence already here, we remember we, along with everyone else, are the beloved children of God. And when we live from that remembrance, the ordinary becomes sacred.
At Sacred Ordinary, a yoga and contemplation retreat, our intention is to guide those who come through practices that can help them remember this truth– that God is present with us, that our very lives are sacred. From practices like Liturgy of Your Day where we’ll intentional create a prayer to pray when we do one our mundane morning tasks, to Centering Prayer where we’ll sit in God’s loving presence, to the Prayer of Examen where we replay our day with God to notice where we were most aware of God’s loving presence with us and when we were least aware. Along with a variety of other practices, including Praying in Colour, play (because you were created with the capacity for JOY and FUN), and of course yoga practices to engage our full bodies in our remembrance of how they, too, are sacred, the day is going to be rejuvenating, and hopefully surprising, cultivating a sense of wonder at God’s presence with us in the daily grind.
If you’re curious about Sacred Ordinary, the deadline to register is Sunday, August 18th at midnight! Learn more and register HERE.