The Well: 52. Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

52. Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

I would not have picked this book up if it had not been the third book of the Renovare Book Club, but this is where "required reading" can help us to discover delightful things. I can honestly say that I loved this book. I was a little leery of it because I read a book a few years ago that seemed similar. I felt like everyone loved this book but me. That author's reflections seemed immature and lukewarm. It was obvious that she was commissioned by a publisher to write a book because she is a good writer, but I didn't sense she had a real hunger and thirst for God. She is popular now, but I was not impressed. I cannot even remember the name of the book, and I won't look it up to remind myself of the title.

Since this is a book looked similar from the outside, I was a bit leery, but I know now I just cannot judge a book by its cover! This author does have a heart for God and a wisdom far beyond her years. Her writing style is beautiful. I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by everything about this book. She quotes some of my favorite classical authors showing she is well-read. She also refers to popular culture! Love that too. She quotes one author I have never read, Annie Dillard, and makes me want to read her. She quotes Scripture too. Everything is so perfectly balanced. Oh, this is a lovely book in every way.

She goes through a day of moments and routines where we can become aware of God presence:

1. Waking: Baptism and Learning to Be Beloved
2. Making the Bed: Liturgy, Ritual, and What Forms a Life
3. Brushing Teeth: Standing, Kneeling, Blowing and Living in a Body
4. Losing Keys: Confession and the Truth About Ourselves
5. Eating Leftovers: Word, Sacrament, and Overlooked Nourishment
6. Fighting with My Husband: Passing the Peace and the Everyday Work of Shalom
7. Checking Email: Blessing and Sending
8. Sitting in Traffic: Liturgical Time and an Unhurried God
9. Calling a Friend: Congregating and Community
10. Drinking Tea: Sanctuary and Savoring
11. Sleeping: Sabbath, Rest, and the Work of God

I highly recommend this book!

“The new life into which we are baptized is lived out in days, hours, and minutes. God is forming us into a new people. And the place of that formation is in the small moments of today.”

“...small bits of our day are profoundly meaningful
because they are the site of our worship. The crucible of our formation is in the monotony of our daily routines.”