Ordinary. That’s a boring word, isn’t it? Monotonous. Monochrome. Bland. Everyone around is always trying to get us to break free from the ordinary. Everything must be extraordinary all the time. Of course, when everything is extraordinary, nothing is. Consequently, there is a constant longing and search for the next great thing. This is a fool’s errand that leads to discontent frustration. The person who is joyful is the person who can learn to be content in the ordinary.

The Church Year has two seasons that help train us to live in the ordinary. They are called, oddly enough, “Ordinary Time.” The origin of the word is not what we understand as “ordinary,” by which we mean mundane. Ordinary time is named thus because it is marked by ordinal numbers: first, second, third, etc. These are the Sundays after Epiphany and the Sundays after Pentecost (or Trinity).

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John the Baptizer proclaimed, “I baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matt 3.11) In his ascension, Jesus received the gift of the Spirit beyond measure and did, indeed, baptize his church with the Holy Spirit and fire.

It is tempting to tease out John’s prophecy into a contrast between water and Spirit, wet versus dry baptism. There was no water involved when the Spirit was poured out on those one hundred twenty disciples in the upper room. There was the sound of a mighty rushing wind and cloven tongues of fire, but there was no water to be found. For this reason, some in the church have played “Spirit baptism” against “water baptism.” Water baptism is understood as ritual obedience to the command of Jesus while Spirit baptism is the real baptism, the point at which a person genuinely receives the Holy Spirit. Water versus Spirit baptism is a mere external ritual versus invisible reality.

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Whenever we study theology, especially theology proper (that is, the study of God himself), theologians tend to talk of God’s “omnipotence,” “omnipresence,” “aseity,” and such the like. Rarely if ever do we hear of the “Rock-ness” of God, or “Tower-ness of God,” or “Warrior-ness of God” as attributes of God. Yet these are descriptions Scripture uses to describe God.

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with using these extra-biblical words to speak of God. Omnipotence, omnipresence, aseity, and all of the other twenty-five cent words do accurately describe God. But have you ever wondered why God used these other words to describe himself instead of many of the words we find in our theology books?

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Dear Friend,

You inquired so honestly about why I am committed to a Reformed vision of life, that I feel compelled to at least give you a brief overview.

First, it’s important to note that I am Reformed in the catholic sense. By “catholic,” I mean in the sense that I have high regard for other traditions. While I am committed to particular features of the 16th Century Protestant Reformation (see below), I am in no way committed to abiding by every doctrine that sprung from that era. However, when I do disagree with my forefathers, I don’t do it flippantly, but with tremendous respect and caution. They were so loyal to the Scriptures that when I disagree with their interpretation I do it with as much humility I can muster.

Second, I am compelled by the Reformed faith because it exalts God to a place of highest honor. Of course, other traditions exalt God, but the Reformed faith places God as the center of all thinking, living, doing, and abiding. In a culture so heavily invested in the wants and desires of men, the Reformed tradition places the glory of God above all earthly glories.

Third, and perhaps one of the central aspects that drew me to the theology of Calvin, Luther, and Bucer was their immense love for the Holy Bible. The Bible was for them the central and primary authority over all matters of faith and practice. Instead of relying on methods of apologetics that excuse or draws us away from the text, the Reformed faith is unapologetically biblical. God is and therefore everything flows from that presupposition.

Fourth, and I owe this largely to Martin Luther, but what draws me more and more every day to the Reformed faith is its principle that when you sing you pray twice (see Augustine). Luther believed that the congregation needed to be committed to singing God’s words and sound theology. I still recall my first experience in a Reformed church and singing:

His kingdom cannot fail;
He rules o’er earth and heav’n.
The keys of death and hell
To Christ the Lord are giv’n.

I never heard such piercing and powerful lyrics. For the Reformed, the congregation is the choir.

Finally, I am Reformed because of Abraham Kuyper’s mission to apply the Christian faith to every sphere of life. He once wrote: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” For the Reformed, to be a Christian is not just a state of being, but a verb. A Christian christianizes. He brings the joys of heaven to everything he touches on earth.

If I had more time, I’d talk about the Church and how the Reformation renewed a true vision of the Church, but I think my outline above should suffice. Again, thanks for your question and I am looking forward to your feedback.

Yours Truly, 
Uri

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