Book Review: “Liturgy of the Ordinary”

Book Review by Major Angelina Koenig
Medford Citadel, OR – Cascade Division

Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren is a book that discusses how our ordinary, daily lives are shaping us and forming us to live and respond to others. However, this book looks at the spiritual implications in our daily moments as moments to meet God and work on our beloved-ness and holiness with a holy God.

The author shares that God said of his son, Jesus, “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased” before Jesus did anything extraordinary. God said this before Jesus performed miracles before he died on the cross and rose from the dead. God is well-pleased with us, before our feet hit the ground. “But each morning in those tender moments—in simply being God’s smelly, sleepy beloved—I again receive grace, life, and faith as a gift. Grace is a mystery and the joyful scandal of the universe” (Warren, 20). We pray and ask God to transform us; yet, we don’t really stop and think about the formation happening in the every-day moments we have. From brushing our teeth to the losing of our keys and the arguments with our spouse or children, these are the moments God invites us to see our beloved-ness and pause for grace and transformation to happen in our lives and the lives of others.

My favorite part of the book are the straight-forward comments that bring the reader to light-bulb moment of awareness and acceptance of our beloved-ness because God so loved the world and God loved us first. I enjoy taking the knowledge of the “I-know” this to the “I see this” and “I see how this works in my life”. This, this gives me the affirmation of the beauty of God’s grace in my life.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to learn to accept and see their beloved-ness in God. When we question our self-worth, this book is a gentle reminder of God meeting us in our daily moments to affirm our beloved-ness.