THE Friday 1991 PageU Religion Ordinary time disrupted becomes extraordinary Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time Mark 1 Sunday Feb 3 1991 Ordinary Time When it s disrupted it becomes extraordinary This is as true for us In Canada as it is for those living in Iraq Kuwait Israel Latvia El Salvador etc Ordinary time is important Without it the anthropologists say we would have no culture An appreciation of time leads to the development of culture culture meaning the proper way to live Let s consider ordinary time more carefully Well break it up three separate but overlapping spheres of ordinary time Picture a Venn diagram There are three interconnecting circles Label the one on the left work time This is regarded as public time in our culture Label the one on the right family time This is private time unless you hire a cook who later write a book about your family life Label the circle on top prayer time This is both public and private Depending on the particular social and personal value at Rev Kenneth Gallinger Colorful guest visits church By COLIN GIBSON The Herald St Andrews United Church on the corner of Mountainview and Sinclair Avenue played host to a special and equally colorful guest last Wednesday The Rev Kenneth Gallinger was on hand to stage an animated open and frank turn and answer forum much to the delight of those in attendance The Rev writes a feature column The Question Box in the United Church magazine Observer He answers questions from writers relating to policies and practices of the United Church and he does not shy away from controversial issues In fact in speaking to the ef fervescent ordained minister one gets the impression he relishes controversial issues as a way of making people more aware of the inner workings and teachings of the church He describes his Question Box column as entertaining as well as informative and admits that at times he can get a bit playful It is clear however he is con vinced the church has an impor and meaningful role to play in our oft times turbulent society He is fully behind the Canadian Council of Churches stand against the Persian Gulf War and admits to playing a part the peace and war movement that blossomed in the United States protesting the Vietnam War To the Rev Gallinger the Powers that be in the church are the people in the pews He estimates however that approx imately only onethird of toe church community actually at tends services In order to rectify this situa tion Rev feels The church must be more creative and learn to communicate better with its members Rev Gallinger style might best be termed the height of creativity at least in relation to his activities within the United Church Rev is also host of the television program The United Church of Canada which is broadcast on Vision TV and can be seen at p Monday evenings The program is re broadcast Tuesday mornings at 30 According to Rev this program deals with in house and Christian living issues OFFICE MAGIC FOR ALL YOUR OFFICE STATIONERY NEEDS Goorgetow Clothing Mens todies Childrens ALTERATIONS REPAIRS Religion and Reality by Jim Ryan tnbuted to each of the three spheres the overall picture of or dinary time will vary For example 1 A workaholic or graduate student may have their prayer and family time eclipsed by work time A person with children may have their family and work time integrated For them their ly is their work 3 A contemplative in a monastery may have integrated prayer and work time Their prayer is their work In nineteenth century rural Ontario where the whole family worked the land family time and work time overlap In more primitive cultures work and family time are wrap ped in prayer time If we consider the week as a unit of time we can see how our culture breaks up time we call it a work week and then make time within that week for family and prayer Family times is called quality tune ORDINARY TIME AND SEX ROLES In the m North America work time was male time and family time was female time This has changed in the 1990 s Work time is now both male and female time Family time however remains largely female time In some cultures prayer time is almost exclusively female time except for the leaders of prayer time who are almost ex clusively male In other cultures prayer time is exclusively male and occurs in a private area that is off limits to women In our culture public prayer time has almost disappeared When it occurs it occurs during extraordinary times Birth death sickness marnage ex graduations Christmas Easter and wartime THREE DISRUPTIONS OF ORDINARY TIME Unemployment Pin that work balloon It will affect family and prayer time Divorce Pin prick that farm balloon It will affect work and prayer time War Pin work and family balloons Unless you re a professional soldier in which case your work is war Political leaders will use the language of prayer using war to cement the foundation for their next elec tion win Margaret Thatcher did this with the war in Argentina American Armed Forces chaplains will see the world The rest of us will pray for our lives and for the lives of our sons and daughters The disruption of ordinary time makes us realize how good or time can be Which is not to say that some times ment and divorce t better than some jobs and some families I don t think we can say war is better than any ordinary time no matter how unjust that ordinary time might be THEGOSPEI AND ORDINARY TIME Mark 1439 is being read over three weeks of Ordinary Time St Georgetown Ont 8779896 last Sunday this Sunday and next Sunday At the beginning of these readings we see Jesus leave John the Baptist near the Jordan River and return to Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee He is entering upon his public work life Last week we saw him in a work this week in a prayer next week in a family In each setting he speaks and acts in such a way as to teach about the Kingdom of God As good as work prayer and family time can be Kingdom time is even better and will transform work prayer and family A HISTORICAL NOTE The early Church refused to baptize professional soldiers Hippolytus of Rome wrote this in his book Traditions of the Apostles around A D Ter tullian noted the same thing but allowed for exceptions if the soldier promised not to execute men or take the oath to the emperor The thinking at that time was that the soldier like the pimp the prostitute and the gladiator practiced a profession that was incompatible with a Christian life Main Street South Downtown Georgetown 873 1470 Ladies Mens Hair Styling 21 Mill 853 3461 Acton SEA SCALLOPS 7 IB GREV SOLE FILLETS FRESH BLUE POINT OYSTERS MOORE PARK PLAZA Main St Georgetown 4168734122 DENTURES FULL DENTURE SERVICES DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC New Dentures Repairs Cleaning Dental Insurance accepted Wheelchair Accessibility IAW TRENTON Denture Therapy Clinic 18 Church St Georgetown Ont 8772359 GEORGETOWN OPTICAL NO ONE EVER REGRETTED BUYING QUALITY MARKET PLACE PLAZA 8773562 HOURS CLOSED MONDAY Fn Saturday 00 CHURCH DIRECTORY NON DENOMINATIONAL PENTECOSTAL ALL PEOPLES CHURCH DELIVERANCE CENTRE FlnchgateBlvd Bramalea Corner FlnchgateJHwy 7 Bible Study Worship Deliverance Sunday 30 a m 7 00 m Wednesday 00 m We Provide Children s Church Nursery Service Engllshtoltalian Translation Pastor George A LeRoy 2176 CHURCH OF ST THE MARTYR Church of Caudal Main St 01n MountelntMalnSU NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH AM ACTIVE TODAY SERVICES Sunday School 9 a m Worship Sorv 30 am 00 Wednesdays HILLS CONGREGATION MS Ml SI South Acton Stephen Wigftar A WELCOME TO All