II Timothy 2:20-21

“In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.”

They taught our children to water ski.

It may not seem like a lot to you, but as Nancy and I watched our children skiing around on Lake Maxinkuckee in northern Indiana while on vacation, it dawned on us that our good friends, Verl and Sylvia Shaffer, had taught all three of our children how to water ski. They didn’t try to do it all at once, Matt was first a number of years ago and he took to skiing fairly quickly. Then Raymond wanted to try and he was given instruction and took to it over the course of two summer vacation’s worth of trying. Then Ched wanted to try. Like his older brothers before him, he didn’t ‘pop-up’ on the first try, but over two summer vacation’s worth of trying, built up the necessary skill and strength to ‘find his feet’ on skis and fully enjoy the feeling of gliding over the waters of Lake Maxinkuckee.

This may not seem like much to you, but as Nancy and I watched our boys skiing in various combinations of tandem behind the boat this summer, the sight and the thought was almost overwhelming: They taught our children to water ski. They didn’t get paid for it, they didn’t go at it as ‘an obligation’, and it wasn’t something that they could do and just walk away from. They taught our children to water ski.

They taught them that to stand on the water, you must first get in the water. They taught them that often, that which is the most fun to do also requires the most effort to do. They taught them that sometimes you fall down when you try things, but the fear of falling is neither an excuse not to try, nor to a reason to stay down. They taught them that even when you fall down, the boat will always come back to you and circle around you to protect you from other dangers in the water. They taught them that to really have fun with skiing, sometimes you have to get out of the wake of the boat and go where no-one else has gone. They taught them that learning new skills is easiest when you do it with friends who care about you and are patient with you. They taught them that there is only one thing worse than making a ‘big splash’ when you fall . . . and that is staying safely on the shore and never trying at all.

They taught our children to water ski.

And they taught them so much more. They taught them about God’s patience and care for us as the captain of the boat, teaching us how to do new things and always being willing to let us try on our own. They taught them about Jesus Christ, who is the ‘spotter’ on the boat whose eyes never leave us as we slide across the surface of the lake and whose voice calls encouragement to us as we expand our horizons and abilities. They taught them about the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, always leading us, sometimes even pulling us, to new adventures and exciting new tomorrows, yet always there when we fall, picking us up, healing our woundedness, and encouraging us to move forward again in faith. They taught them about being part of a family, providing hospitality without reserve, sharing gifts without resentment, and giving support without judgment.

They taught our children to water ski.

And they taught them so much more. They taught them that it is not about being ‘the best gold or silver utensil’ in the drawer. It is about being a utensil that is cleansed and ready to be used, whatever it is made of, and trusting that God will use that utensil in a dedicated and holy way for every good work which brings glory to God. There is nothing about Verl and Sylvia which might lead others to regard them as ‘the best gold or silver utensil’ in the drawer, they are among the most common, hard-working, and caring people we know. Yet, that very fact is what makes them the ‘gold or silver utensils’ in God’s drawer: they are the best to be offered when company comes to the house. They are among the most reliable and trustworthy God has to utilize when the ‘work’ needs to be done, and people need to be fed, and others need friends, and children need to learn how to ski. It is the ‘fire of their faith’ which tempers and refines the ordinariness of their living into the gold and silver of God’s precious presence among us all.

They taught our children to water ski . . . and they showed us the face of God in children’s laughter heard across the lake, weaving back and forth through the wake of the boat, showering each other and others around them with the waters of God’s life-giving womb.

They taught our children to water ski . . . and made of our vacations a holy moment for which we will ever be thankful. Who could ever have imagined?

Maybe it is time for the church to try water skiing!