When the church announced that we would have a Chinese Summer Retreat this year, I was really looking forward to it. However, when it was canceled due to the rising COVID-19 cases in King County, I was deeply disappointed. During my youth, church retreats had a special place in my own spiritual journey. It had always been a time for me to retreat from the mundaneness of daily life to a “mountaintop” where I could experience the presence of God. Now, I realize that such a view of spirituality is deeply flawed. I was like a spiritual addict, waiting for my next “camp high.” I considered everyday life as boring and dull. This view of spirituality de-emphasizes the presence of God in everyday living.

In the Christian liturgical calendar, the time from Pentecost Sunday until the First Advent Sunday is known as Ordinary Time. During Ordinary Time, we learn to discern how the very presence of God manifests itself in the smallest, most mundane activities. In his book Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster identifies such a spiritual tradition as the Incarnational Tradition. This spiritual tradition focuses upon "making present and visible the realm of the invisible spirit." [1] By practicing it, we can “experience God as truly manifest and notoriously active in daily life.” [2] Unlike the Greeks, Christians view the spiritual and the material not in opposition to one another but as complementary. God manifests Himself to us through material means. Consider the Lord’s supper: He is present with us in the bread and cup (John 6:56).

William Temple suggests that God is found in everyday realities: in the painting of an artist, the care of a physician, and the compassionate act of a friend [3]. One way we can practice the incarnational tradition is by inviting God to enter our every experience in life. We invite God to inspire creativity and productivity at work. We invite God to give us joy when doing menial house chores. We invite God to touch broken family relationships and resolve conflicts between loved ones. We invite God to strengthen the bonds of our community as we worship with one voice. Therefore, God is present not only on the mountaintop, but He is also there in the walks of daily life, transforming every ordinary moment into sacred time.

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[1] Richard Foster, Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith, p.7
[2] Ibid

[3] Bruce Demarest, “Incarnation”, Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, Glen Scorgie, p.531