Ordinary Time
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Ordinary Time
“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. ‘On the day when I act,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘they will be my treasured possession.’” Malachi 3:16-17, NIV
As my 2025 Bible reading plan closed and Advent came to an end, I found myself in Malachi, the final prophet of the Old Testament. His message was both reassuring and unsettling. Yes, the Messiah would come. But once again, God’s people had drifted. A century removed from exile, they grew spiritually sluggish. They neglected their tithes, flirted with idolatry, and treated the rebuilt Temple with indifference.
As I trudged through the prophet’s words, I couldn’t help but think about what the Church calls Ordinary Time—those long stretches after Christmas and before Lent, and again between Easter and Advent. These are the humdrum days when life returns to routine. Decorations come down. Candles are extinguished. And if not intentionally alert to God’s Presence, we risk squeezing Him and Jesus to the margins as the glow of holy days fades into distant memory.
Ordinary Time is when faith can be most tested. Not in celebration, but in consistency. If we’re not intentionally centered on Christ and where the Holy Spirit leads, then the hope, peace, joy, and love that we felt around the special days can quietly slip through our grasp like water through fingers.
Malachi’s words shot a warning flare calling God’s people…and us: avoid drifting. Stay awake, stay faithful, and stay ready—living in expectation not only of what God has done, but trusting what He will do again: deliver us, provide, and protect us. Our calling is not to coast through our routines and days but to cultivate an ever-growing, attentive relationship with our Creator through His Son, Jesus Christ.
My reflection on Malachi ended with a journal note to myself: God is not only the God of Christmas and Easter days. He is the God of our work and school days, errands and appointments, weekend fun, conversations, and quiet moments. He walks with us through both crises and calendars full of ordinary boxes. And though the seasons change, He reminds us, “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6).
God is not only God of holidays or holy days. He is God of all our days.
Reflect: As Ordinary Time approaches beginning January 12, where are you most tempted to put your faith on autopilot? What would it look like to intentionally welcome God into all the routines of your ordinary days?
Pray: Faithful God, help me not to drift or grow dull in the ordinary seasons of life. Teach me to recognize Your presence in routine moments and to live with expectancy, not complacency. Keep my heart awake, grateful, and attentive to You—every day. In the name of Jesus and through the power of Your Holy Spirit, I pray, Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria Ashby
Lay Leader