Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life is a beautiful book. It is lyrical and funny and brings a sense of peace and presence to the daily habits of living.
Winner of Christianity Today’s 2018 “Book of the Year” award, “Liturgy of the Ordinary” takes us through a regular day in Tish Harrison Warren’s life. She writes:
“We look at faith in small moments, spiritual formation in its molecular form— not because this is all that matters, but because the only life any of us live is in daily, pedestrian humanity. (p. 23)”
Using the framework of a day, Warren discusses mundane, even annoying activities, and the opportunities they present to be reminded of deeper truths. Losing your keys is a chance for confession and character formation. Making the bed is an invitation into the practice of silence. Brushing teeth reminds us that our bodies are instruments of worship and temples for the Holy Spirit.
The irony in this great time of crisis is that social distancing and self-isolation have forced many of us to retreat into the “ordinary”. As many of us are stuck at home, separated from the work that made us feel important and significant, Tish Harrison Warren’s book is a gift that enables us to see our lives through a sacramental lens and to be formed in the image of the almighty God. He does, after all, care about laundry, sleep, and cups of tea.
Ellanda Joyce
This review first published by Anglican Deaconess Ministries.