Value the Ordinary
Dear Church,
No one gets excited when they hear the word “ordinary.” It’s like the color beige. It doesn’t “pop”, as they say. It’s just ordinary. What we like, instead, are things that are extraordinary, unique, and special. We would never expect our friends to go to a restaurant if we described it as ordinary, but if we said that the food was amazing, the décor was stunning, the service was over the top, then we’d make reservations the very next day. Even when it comes to the practice of our faith, we get all pumped up with the extraordinary, the sensational. We follow the hype. This Christian band is the hottest, so we listen to them, but, as your pastor, what I want for all of us is that we embrace the ordinary.
Theologians have referred to something called the ordinary means of grace. What is that? Well, the Westminster Shorter Catechism: Question #88 asks, “What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption?” The catechism’s answer is, “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are his ordinances, especially the word, sacraments and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.” Another way to look at this is to ask, “How are we to live out the Christian life, by what means?” Or “How do I grow in Christ?” Or “How do I experience the grace of Christ throughout my life?” It’s through these ordinary means -- things like regular corporate church attendance, prayer, reading Scripture, serving, participating in the Lord’s Supper, and other spiritual exercises. How many times have you heard that you should read your Bibles and pray? It’s the same as when mom says every single day, “Come down and eat.” All of these things are, indeed, very ordinary.
From my pastoral experience, I’ve noticed the people who grow the most are those who plug away at their faith utilizing these ordinary means, day after day after day. As an example, we’ve all heard of crash diets or fad diets. Go vegan, high protein, intermittent fasting, Atkins, and the list goes on and on. All the research says that fad diets never work for lasting results, and often the individual ends up gaining even more weight. What actually works are the ordinary means of losing weight and staying healthy. Portion control. Eat less processed foods. Consume less sugar. Exercise. Get a good night’s rest. Make all of these a part of your lifestyle and you will see the results. In fact, try applying this ‘ordinary’ principle to all the areas of your life. How do you create wealth? How do you get in shape? How do you build a healthy marriage? How do you become better at golf? It’s never by applying a quick-fix. Change occurs by doing the ordinary, perhaps even boring, simple things, repeatedly. We don’t see the difference right away, we rarely do, but after six months, after five years, you’ll look back and see that you’ve changed and grown as a Christian.
Just consider our friends who have back-slidden from the faith. Did they back slide because of the lack of extraordinary experiences or did they back slide due to their neglect of the ordinary? In every case, it’s due to the latter. Don’t get duped by the sensational or by the latest and greatest thing. Rather, we should love the ordinary because they are God’s prescribed ways for us to experience his blessings. That’s what this year has been all about. That’s what the CoaH Challenge is all about. It’s utilizing God’s prescribed ordinary means to grow, and that my friends, is extraordinary.
Soli Deo Gloria
Pastor Peter
