Beloved, I would like to engage your hearts and minds for the next few minutes, from the subject,
“Doing Something Extra With The Ordinary”
Beloved, in his painting “Walking on the Water”, one can nearly hear the rhythmic splashing underneath.
One can almost feel the swaying, rocking, “up and down” motion of the waves.
And upon these rambunctious tides,
it is told to us that Jesus walks.
One step after the other – he walks.
This gifted Russian painter of seascapes…
Aivazovsky,
comes to mind whenever I read this text
in the gospels of Matthew, Luke, or Mark.
But Aivazovsky strokes oil upon canvas
not for the accounts of Luke or Mark
but for the one found only in Matthew,
in which Peter… is walking too.
One step after the other - Peter trudges upon this wet runway.
Beloved, this story is the type that would go viral on YouTube – it should have at least been rumor-worthy
amongst the fishermen and their families
living around this body of water in those times.
But bizarrely, it seems to have received a quiet coverage.
A handful of eyes beholding such an event
seems almost disrespectful to the scene,
even the pens of Luke and Mark not mentioning it
almost seems like lazy journalism.
Indeed, we know…
that many centuries before this gospel record was even written,
in Greek and Roman mythologies,
Poseidon and Neptune were the gods
that mastered the watery domain, the oceans,
the seas and the lakes.
Yes, we know by this time
the story of one walking atop water was not unique or new.
But still, it seems anyone strolling upon water at anytime deserves a noteworthy headline.
But all we read about it, even including Matthew’s account,
are about six measly verses.
Beloved, why - why is so little ink sacrificed to tell the tale?
Why is the saga merely a footnote on the page of history? “Why?” I ask.
Perhaps, one might answer, “all they were doing was walking.”
What’s so spectacular about taking one step after the other and walking?
It is not as if they were “waterbending” like Avatar Aang
or surfing upon the back of the Loch Ness Monster –
or even levitating or flying like E.T.
some say all Jesus and Peter did… was walk.
Now, I concede that the act of walking
is not necessarily groundbreaking anymore –
humankind has been walking for 250 thousand years-
And I also concede that the presence of water
is not necessarily spectacular either –
there is 326 million trillion gallons of water on this planet.
So, I can understand if a story just about walking
and just about water
may not be a New York Times bestseller.
These in and of themselves are just ordinary.
But what we have here is not just some water –
and not just some walking.
Beloved, what we have here rather is a scene
that displays to us what can happen,
when we take what is “ordinary”,
in this case, some water and some walking,
and put them together to do something “extraordinary”,
like someone walking on some water.
What we have here is an example of how,
that with God, “ordinary” things, people, and places,
can be put together in such a way
to do some “extraordinary” things.
Beloved, I know that is hard to believe.
The mathematics of our lives has taught us
that ordinary plus ordinary must equal ordinary.
An ordinary upbringing plus and ordinary dream
must equal an ordinary person.
An ordinary person plus an ordinary marriage
must equal an ordinary family.
An ordinary family plus an ordinary neighborhood
must equal an ordinary education.
An ordinary education plus an ordinary skill
must equal an ordinary job.
An ordinary job plus an ordinary paycheck
must equal an ordinary life.
This is our understanding of things.
We have earned PhDs in the mathematics of the ordinary.
But Beloved –
who here hasn’t cast their wishes toward heaven’s gates,
hoping to have more than just an ordinary life.
Who sets out on life’s journey
just to reach some ordinary destination?
Any of you look forward
to your obituary summarizing the story of an ordinary life?
“He was ordinary or she was ordinary.”
“They were ordinary or it was ordinary.”
There is no twinkle in that;
there is no longevity in that;
there is no “umph” in that. Ordinary? - no.
Who here wants to be in an “ordinary” relationship
or a descendent of an “ordinary” family
or attend an “ordinary” church
or achieve “ordinary” feats?
Beloved, there is something imbedded in all of us
that wants to be a part of something,
to do something, to say something, to have something,
to be something more than just “ordinary.”
But how can we be more than just “ordinary”
when all of what makes up the story of our lives
is as ordinary as some water and some walking?
Beloved, we look out upon the landscape of human efforts
and see the extraordinariness of a Dr. Bill Cosby,
who dropped out of high school,
yet went on and earned his doctorate in education
from the University of Massachusetts.
We see the extraordinariness of a Stevie Wonder,
blind shortly after his birth and reared in a broken home,
yet go on and win 22 Grammy Awards
and be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
We see the extraordinariness of an Ursula Burns,
daughter of Panamanian immigrants,
reared by a single mother…
in a New York City housing project,
yet go on to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company
and be listed as the 14th most powerful woman in the world.
We see the extraordinariness of a man,
whose very name should have disqualified him
for the highest office in our land,
yet he went on to become…
the first president of color in the White House.
We see all of this and we say to ourselves
they are notably special, born destined for greatness,
they exist on some divine plane.
They are extraordinary – not like us ol’ “ordinary” folks.
No sir – No ma’am.
We can’t be out of school for a while…
but then go back to pursue and complete our education.
We can’t be physically-challenged
but use what body parts we do have to be artistic and ingenious.
We can’t have immigrant parents and grow up in a modest beginning
but attain great corporate success.
We can’t be of a certain race
and set out to represent and make life better for all races.
But who said we can’t?
A brain is ordinary. Reading books is ordinary.
Learning something new is ordinary.
Living with a weakness - ordinary.
Trying to make do is ordinary.
Knowing what you want is ordinary.
Practicing your craft is ordinary.
Starting small is ordinary.
Wanting better is ordinary.
Working hard is ordinary.
Water is ordinary.
Walking is ordinary.
There is nothing supernatural about it...
or deeply spiritual about it at all.
But if we dare take the “ordinary” in our lives
and put it together, we too can do some extraordinary things!
Beloved, I dare us to put together…
some wanting better and some working hard.
I dare us to put together…
some starting small and some knowing what we want.
I dare us to put together…
some living with a weakness and some practicing our craft.
I dare us to put together…
some trying to make do and some learning something new.
I dare us to put together…
some water and some walking
and see what extraordinary things will happen.
Oh Beloved, the extraordinariness of Peter
walking on water is right there.
It is right there in him putting
some “ordinary” walking and some “ordinary” water –
putting it – walking and water – putting it together!
Oh Beloved, this is what faith in Christ Jesus helps us see!
This faith is a reductionism of the greatest kind.
It is seeing the “ordinary” choices
that make up the whole “extraordinary” success;
it is seeing the “ordinary” steps
that make up the whole “extraordinary” journey;
it is seeing the “ordinary” colors
that make up the whole “extraordinary” picture;
Beloved, faith is seeing the whole of life
as just the sum of “ordinary” pieces
and daring to put those “ordinary” pieces together
in a new and uncommon way
to do some history-making, trailblazing, groundbreaking,
life-changing, “extraordinary” things!
So the story tells us
that Peter does some walking on some water!
Now Beloved, I know our modern, rational, scientific minds say, “That is impossible.”
Even armed with an American public school education,
we would note
that Peter’s weight is heavier than the water he displaces,
so Peter would have to sink in the water;
he can’t just walk on it.
And I am sure his comrades in the boat,
in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, thought as much.
“Peter, stay in the boat. That’s good enough.
You’ll be safe here. You’ve gone far enough.
You can’t walk on water.
Those two “ordinary” things…
do not go together in that unusual way.
Thurgood Marshall,
you can’t put a legal education and a moral conviction together and argue against racial segregation
before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Cindy Crawford, you can’t put beauty AND brains together
and qualify to study chemical engineering….
at Northwestern University on full academic scholarship.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., you cannot put
the Bible and social issues together
and expand what it means to be Christian and American.
“Oh Peter,
you cannot put some walking and some water together and walk on water.
It is not like you are Jesus or something.”
So just be satisfied with attending church.
Just be content with making some money or having a degree. Just be glad that you’re breathing.
And whatever “extraordinary” inventions there are to discover, whatever “extraordinary” charity there is to give,
whatever “extraordinary” goals there are to reach,
if there is a record to be broken, a first to be done,
a new method to be found, a great attempt to be made,
leave all of life’s “extraordinariness” to the "one percent",
leave it to the heterosexuals,
leave it to the grown-ups,
leave it to the credentialed,
leave it to the “religious”,
leave it to the officials – “Peter, leave it to Jesus.
Stay in the boat, brother. What are you thinking?
We- are- just- “ordinary” -people.”
Beloved, we hear this all the time.
It echoes in the ears of little girls
who are steered away from the serious study of math or science.
It rings in the ears of women who dare to shatter the glass ceiling
and people of color who would dare ascend the corporate ladder.
The swarms of immigrants that dare desire
to become a part of the tapestry of our nation,
they hear it loud and clear.
It blares in the ears of those who dare to meet the challenges of the day,
no matter how entrenched and avoided.
“Stay – in – the - boat!”
These words blow upon us
as a wintry gust of fear and doubt.
These words seduce us
to a cowardly rest, a regretful retreat.
“Stay-in – the – boat!”
These words shackle the imagination with uncertainty,
infect our ambitions with nervousness,
and strain our dreams under the weight of overwhelming odds. “Stay – in – the – boat!”
“The scene of life is too big and too grand – too “extraordinary” for us ol’ small, simple, “ordinary” people!”
Yes. It is true. We are “ordinary.”
But it was 56 “ordinary” men
who, in 1776, signed an “ordinary” piece of paper,
with “ordinary” hands,
declaring a people’s independence,
and a new nation set sail into history.
Yes – we are “ordinary.”
But it was “ordinary” women like Alice Paul,
who stood with “ordinary” bodies
holding “ordinary” picket signs
until the halls of men professed that women too could vote.
Yes – we are “ordinary.”
But yet “ordinary” parents and “ordinary” teachers
with “ordinary” resources and “ordinary” paychecks”
are still able to bend the thoughts of children upward
and shove them into the springtime of their futures.
Yes- we are “ordinary”
but it is the “ordinary” things, people, and places
that can be put together in such a way
to do some “extraordinary” things!
That’s what Peter knew!
He knew that all that we deem as “extraordinary”
is just the “ordinary” tried and tested –
the “ordinary” examined and toyed with –
the “ordinary” challenged and valued –
the “ordinary” used and engaged;
it’s the “ordinary”
put together in such a way
to do some “extraordinary” things!
For Peter… it was some water and some walking.
For you, maybe it’s a pen and some paper.
For you, maybe it’s a hobby and some free time.
For you, maybe it’s an idea and some research.
For you, maybe it’s a classroom and some students.
For you, maybe it’s a proposal and some colleagues.
For you, maybe it’s a kind word and some loved ones.
Yes – it seems “ordinary”
but Jesus would say come out of the boat
of fear and self-doubt,
come out of the boat of low aim and small thinking,
come out of the boat of idling and spectating,
come out of the boat…
and take the “ordinary” things around you
and put it together to do something “extraordinary”!
Oh Beloved that is what Jesus does
when He appears in the painting of our lives.
He shows us that an “ordinary” person
can take some “ordinary” walking and some “ordinary” water and put it together… to do an “extraordinary” thing.
Aren’t you glad?! With Jesus,
“ordinary” whites and “ordinary” blacks
can be put together,
With Jesus …“ordinary” women and “ordinary” men
can be put together,
With Jesus…“ordinary” academics and “ordinary” activists
and “ordinary” believers and “ordinary” skeptics
can all be put together
in such a way… to do something….. “extraordinary”
like the Social Security Act of 1935;
“extraordinary” like the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
“extraordinary” like ending the Cold War in 1989;
“extraordinary” like the election of Barack Obama in 2008…
(Oh Yes!)
And Beloved,
there are still more “extraordinary” feats for us to do
-like a Latino as Speaker of the House of Representatives – “extraordinary”
like a woman as President of the United States,
“extraordinary”
like passing the Fair Minimum Wage Act,
“extraordinary” like universal clean energy,
“extraordinary” like no child going to sleep hungry
and no little girl anywhere denied an education,
“extraordinary” like forgiving when others don’t deserve it,
-hoping in the midst of ruins,
-loving beyond ourselves,
-reviving fizzled dreams!
Oh, Beloved, come- out- of- your- boat
and take all of what is “ordinary” around you and in you
and put it together & do something “extraordinary” with it!
And when we do that,
when we take all of what is “ordinary” around us and in us
and we put it together
and we do something “extraordinary” with it,
there will not be a disease we can’t cure
or a community we can’t rebuild,
there will not be a child we can’t educate
or a family we can’t feed,
there will not be an injustice we can’t stop
or a goal we can’t reach!
And we will have neighborhoods that are “extraordinary”
And inventions that are “extraordinary”
and policies that are “extraordinary”
and families that are “extraordinary”
and churches that are “extraordinary”
and careers that are “extraordinary”
and schools that are “extraordinary”
and wins… that –are- “extraordinary”!
And then we will know
why Peter’s walking on water received so little coverage.
Then we will know
why Aivazovsky painted this scene –
because we will know…
that in Jesus, “extraordinary” living
is not to be the exception… but the rule!
We will know, after all this time,
that all the idea of Jesus ever desires for any of us
is to be soooo “extraordinary”
that it becomes as “ordinary” to us
as some water and some walking! Amen.
