Old Mystic, July 26, 2009
John 6:1-14
Summary
As we are rooted in Jesus Christ, nurtured through our relationship with God in him, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are challenged to meet the needs of those around us. It can happen within the scope of our gifts, our resources, and our strength, and it takes our commitment to engage in missional work.
Sermon
The story of the feeding of the five thousand is perhaps one of the most challenging signs offered in the New Testament. It displays the miraculous power of Jesus to the point of eclipsing both the apparent meaning in the context of the Gospel of John—and the other gospels—and what we can make out of it in this 21st century. To look upon this passage a sign of the power of Christ could lead us to missing completely the point for our times and being left with empty hands. Not that in any way I would attempt to diminish or doubt the power of God to act supernaturally—after all I continue to affirm God as the creator and sustainer of the universe independently of the means God could have used to develop it. Yet, there’s always the pressing question, why doesn’t a merciful God employ such power, especially the power to multiply fish and loaves of bread, to feed a hungry world? I have been involved in Christian circles where the “name-it-and-claim-it” approach—vested of unwarranted triumphalism—has misguided people to believe that our faith can manipulate God to overcome nature and respond to or demands. And if that is possible, what about feeding the hungry?
I believe this sign points to a different situation and in a different direction. In the context of this Gospel, the miraculous production of bread seems to emphasize the powerful metaphor that Jesus is the bread of life. Without over spiritualizing this passage, we can affirm once again the centrality of Jesus Christ to our faith, to our life, to our congregation, and to our future. And the situation now is that we do not rely on a daily basis on supernatural power to meet the needs of those who we are called to serve in the world. We depend on our relationship with Jesus and his call to respond just with what we have.
But let’s beware; the need is still there. We live in a world where hunger is rampant and cannot be ignored. 1 in 10 US families cannot afford nutritious food on a regular basis—that means that approximately 11 million children and 19 million adults in this country are moving to being undernourished. And the rest of the world? Over 800 hundred million are chronically malnourished—not to mention the fact that indeed, even in the 21st century, people die of hunger. As I have heard it from many struck by tragedy cry, “where are you Jesus?” “Can’t you act?” Can’t Jesus multiply bread for the poor in the Third World? He may have an answer for us today: you do it! And it is not our power of making miracles multiplying loaves of bread, but our desire, commitment, and engagement to meet needs.
In the Gospel story, a large crowd was following Jesus because he had made signs for the sick. Jesus had met their needs powerfully so many were following him. When Jesus saw them, according the Gospel of John, he tested his disciples asking them how they were going to feed that many people—five thousand not counting women and children. Interestingly, in Mark’s version of the event (6:37), when the disciples suggested that the crowd should be sent away so they could help themselves, Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” A test in both cases, for it seems that it has pleased God to do things through people and we are constantly challenged to do so.
Philip was only able to assess what was needed and his response reflected his acknowledgement of his own limitations. His measurement was perhaps accurate—six month of wages would only buy food for the crowd to have just a taste of a real meal—but his inquisitive demeanor betrayed his lack of empowerment. It is perhaps Jesus’ statement according to Mark that is warranted here: “You give them something to eat.” From a 21st century perspective, it seems like Jesus is saying, “you do it.” “You are empowered and called to meet the needs of those around you with your gifts.”
Can we meet the needs of large crowds beyond our human resources? Perhaps not, yet that is not the challenge. The challenge is that no matter how limited our gifts are, how much we lack imagination, how old or inexperienced we are, or even how poor we are, we have gifts provided by God to meet the needs of some folks. It is true; we can’t go beyond our human resources to do mission and ministry but there is much we can do and we will be able to do it. A missional church—a congregation that goes out to meet the spiritual, emotional, relational, and material needs of others—will make a difference in the community. It is not a matter of feeding everyone; just some—those who are send our way!
Andrew had a better solution; he surveyed the crowd to assess what their resources were. And he came up with the meager count of five loaves of bread and two fish. Not too much to offer to a hungry crowd of five thousand. And his question also had the doubtful tone of someone who asks what can be accomplished with very few material resources. And that is a valid question. In fact it is a question that most congregations raise these days as their resources are considerably diminishing. Jesus’ tacit response is the same: “You do it!” It doesn’t matter how little we have to meet needs; there must be something that we can do when it comes to doing mission and ministry. Isn’t this passage showing how Jesus can do things on a shoe string? Isn’t perhaps he telling the small church that no matter how limited their financial resources are they can still meet needs that will make a difference?
Jesus would not allow them to remain insensitive to the needs of the crowd. They were not sure what to do or how to do it and they were aware of how little they had; yet they were challenged to care for that crowd with the same compassion that Jesus had as it is described in the Gospel of Mark: “he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” That same compassion can and will trigger us to do what we can do; some a little, others more. Yet, we have a mission and we are the ones called to go.
And Jesus performed the miraculous sign. He made the people sit in the grass, took the loaves of bread, blessed them, and provided an abundant meal for all the five thousand with leftovers saved so there nothing would be wasted. He did not do it to shame the disciples, nor was it merely a display of power. It was an invitation to trust him. He can meet our spiritual needs and empower us to meet the needs of others. He is the bread of life and receiving him, as we enact when we celebrate communion partaking of the bread and the cup, we share in his sufferings but also in his victory. It is our relationship with him, with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that makes the difference. He said, “Apart of me you can do nothing.” Living with him, walking with him, trusting in him we will be able to meet needs. In Christ, yes, we can do it!
“When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” Their idea of Jesus was a little off. They wanted to make him an earthly king right on the spot which prompted Jesus to retreat with his disciples. The crowds wanted their nation to be freed and restored. That was not exactly Jesus’ mission then. Yet, he is God made flesh, he is with us, and he has empowered us to join God in what in God is doing in the world; a mission to set humans free, to proclaim good news of wholeness for all, and to meet human needs. And the task is not easy. But, yes, we can do it!
The Household of God
Old Mystic, July 19, 2009
Ephesians 2:11-22
Summary
The church is powerfully portrayed in the letter to the Ephesians as the Household of God. As a congregation, then, we are a concrete and visible expression of God’s eternal purpose of bringing all things together in Christ in the fullness of time. As God’s household, it pleased God to make us the seed of that boundless community of all times where we all come together under Christ beyond all differences.
Sermon
During the ABCUSA Biennial, I had the privilege to attend a workshop by Glynnis LaBarre that addressed the strength and possibilities of the small church—a type of congregation with an attendance of less than 100 to worship and with limitations in human resources and finances. Sounds familiar? The message that Glynnis conveyed, however, was that there is great missional energy to be tapped from these congregations and that there is nothing wrong with being small! Missional churches are congregations that understand the social and cultural changes taking place in this 21st century and go out to do mission and ministry outside their walls meeting the needs in their communities, with less concern about their structure and institutional goals. They are less preoccupied about running and keeping the “machine” in good shape. They want to be “Christ hands and feet” in their town and therefore, regardless of size, I believe they will not only survive but also flourish in a world of dwindling Christian congregations.
Out text today, which lays out the role of the church in being God’s visible and concrete expression throughout the ages of His eternal purpose, of “a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth,” begins with the metaphor of a household. The writer of the letter to the Ephesians is telling us that such an encompassing endeavor on which depends the destiny of humankind begins with a group of folks of the size of a household—it is God’s doing in Christ and it begins with a small group.
Households or homes in the days when this letter was written were perhaps larger that those of our days. And many were also churches since in those days congregations were house churches. In fact, according to Roger. W. Gehring, it was not until the 4th century, when Roman emperor Constantine began building basilicas, that Christian gatherings became large assemblies. There was power in a dedicated group of people that had a purpose and a mission—and there still is today; the power of the Household of God.
What does this message of the letter to the Ephesians tell us today? First, it doesn’t matter how high our goals, how high our standards, and how ambitious our development plans are, God accomplishes His will in Christ and through Christ. In other words, Jesus Christ is at the center of the church and our lives revolve around him. The text reads: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ.” The household of God is built on relationships; our relationship with Christ, our relationship with the Living God to whom we were reconciled by Jesus, and our relationships among ourselves, the believers, from all backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life.
Jesus Christ in central to our faith; he is God’s incarnation and the ultimate revelation—in flesh and spirit—of God’s love and redeeming purpose for us. At the same time, as pilgrims of this 21st century, we need to avoid claims about Jesus that are narrow and exclusive. We have too often been too occupied trying to determine who are those that deserve to be left out of the “Household of God” and making sure we are in. As we reflect upon the love of Jesus, the beauty of his “divine humanity,” who are we to decide who does not belong to us? I’d rather run the risk of being too inclusive to ruling anyone out! What it is going to help us Christians the most these days, it is not how much we objectively know about Christianity or Jesus Christ; I believe it is more a subjective, personal, relational, and experiential encounter with the Living God who wills to relate to us in Christ. God’s Household is built around Christ and everyone is welcome.
Second, The Household of God, that sacred place of encounter, of growth, and of purpose is also a place for unity. Unity, what an elusive experience! It is easy to be skeptic when it comes to the church and when dealing to some of the insurmountable differences we seem to have; theological, historical, denominational, racial, cultural or even provincial—differences that are understandable though not justifiable by any means in most cases. I have often repeated what I also heard others say, something I believe can help us focus and covenant to come together: we must agree that we have things in common but also that we have disagreements; disagreements that we must not allow them to separate us.
The writer to the Ephesians said, “He is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility.” The household-church in the first century that is being addressed in the text, was a church that brought together Jews and Gentiles in spite of their cultural, religious, and historical differences. It was really difficult for the Jews but the claim was that Jesus “[abolished] in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself a new humanity in place of the two.” Jesus can mix oil and water to stay together and the water will still be water, and the oil, oil!
Being one and united is not simple; let’s face it. Yet, it is still God’s doing so it must be possible. It requires the attitude and the humility of Jesus—the one who is at the center—and the ability of letting go; letting go power, control, and privilege. We will hear even very well intentioned and loving Christians shoot back, “Who would ever give up power, or control, or privilege? But isn’t precisely the core of the Christian message, the paradox of God’s work, giving up His glory, and power, and dominion, to become human and thus extend us His grace and forgiveness? We can perhaps have only glimpses of the unity in Christ in this age. Yet, it is worth to count it as victory when we can overcome our disagreements and engage in mission together; mission to a world that desperately needs a model of a household that is not perfect but somehow incarnates God’s eternal purpose of bringing all things together under Jesus Christ.
Third, the household-church is a place of peace; another of the greatest challenges of our age and perhaps of all times. Conflict and violence have been and are everywhere. And conflict is so widespread that encompasses the warring clashes of families, neighborhoods, cities, and nations. It seems that for many, violence is the only option available to solve human disagreements. Many wars have being fought and are being fought and I don’t believe not a single one has really solved or is going to solve the problem at stake and the cost in human life has always been too high. In fact, I am convinced that war always has hidden purposes serving interests beyond of what it pretends to solve and most of the time leaves the fighters empty handed. I reluctantly accept that in our fallen humanity, we may have to call it inevitable sometimes. But the language, the beliefs, and the action of the children of the household of God must be directed toward making peace in the world, in our country, and in our households.
“He is our peace… that he might create in himself one new humanity… through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it… So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” Peace can be equated with our deepest hopes both in this life and in the one to come. It is that sense of wholeness, of fulfillment, and of complete happiness that only God can provide. We can all attest how elusive it is. Yet, we must proclaim it, promote it, and advance it through our work. Christ brings us together as God’s children into a household with no dividing walls where the needs of all are met. And that is quite a task; a task that in our attempt to fulfill it we will be only scratching the surface. Yet God may be telling us today that the small church; the church that still has among its member some “Don Quixotes” who believe in the impossible; and who have dreams and are not willing to relinquish them; the small church may be the way God has to penetrate the world and fulfill His purpose of bringing all things together under Jesus Christ.
Folks, we are a small church. So it is good to be reminded that no matter how limited we feel we are, or how low our resources are, or how difficult the task out there is. We are learning that in this age we will not advance God’s mission by building the organization first and then doing ministry. If we keep on thinking that way, it won’t happen. We are called to build the Household of God—a work of God and human engineering—and this is done by reaching out to people, meeting the needs of folks in the community, and bringing them into that Household, our Household; it is God’s, it is ours, and of anyone; those near and those far off.
Ephesians 2:11-22
Summary
The church is powerfully portrayed in the letter to the Ephesians as the Household of God. As a congregation, then, we are a concrete and visible expression of God’s eternal purpose of bringing all things together in Christ in the fullness of time. As God’s household, it pleased God to make us the seed of that boundless community of all times where we all come together under Christ beyond all differences.
Sermon
During the ABCUSA Biennial, I had the privilege to attend a workshop by Glynnis LaBarre that addressed the strength and possibilities of the small church—a type of congregation with an attendance of less than 100 to worship and with limitations in human resources and finances. Sounds familiar? The message that Glynnis conveyed, however, was that there is great missional energy to be tapped from these congregations and that there is nothing wrong with being small! Missional churches are congregations that understand the social and cultural changes taking place in this 21st century and go out to do mission and ministry outside their walls meeting the needs in their communities, with less concern about their structure and institutional goals. They are less preoccupied about running and keeping the “machine” in good shape. They want to be “Christ hands and feet” in their town and therefore, regardless of size, I believe they will not only survive but also flourish in a world of dwindling Christian congregations.
Out text today, which lays out the role of the church in being God’s visible and concrete expression throughout the ages of His eternal purpose, of “a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth,” begins with the metaphor of a household. The writer of the letter to the Ephesians is telling us that such an encompassing endeavor on which depends the destiny of humankind begins with a group of folks of the size of a household—it is God’s doing in Christ and it begins with a small group.
Households or homes in the days when this letter was written were perhaps larger that those of our days. And many were also churches since in those days congregations were house churches. In fact, according to Roger. W. Gehring, it was not until the 4th century, when Roman emperor Constantine began building basilicas, that Christian gatherings became large assemblies. There was power in a dedicated group of people that had a purpose and a mission—and there still is today; the power of the Household of God.
What does this message of the letter to the Ephesians tell us today? First, it doesn’t matter how high our goals, how high our standards, and how ambitious our development plans are, God accomplishes His will in Christ and through Christ. In other words, Jesus Christ is at the center of the church and our lives revolve around him. The text reads: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ.” The household of God is built on relationships; our relationship with Christ, our relationship with the Living God to whom we were reconciled by Jesus, and our relationships among ourselves, the believers, from all backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life.
Jesus Christ in central to our faith; he is God’s incarnation and the ultimate revelation—in flesh and spirit—of God’s love and redeeming purpose for us. At the same time, as pilgrims of this 21st century, we need to avoid claims about Jesus that are narrow and exclusive. We have too often been too occupied trying to determine who are those that deserve to be left out of the “Household of God” and making sure we are in. As we reflect upon the love of Jesus, the beauty of his “divine humanity,” who are we to decide who does not belong to us? I’d rather run the risk of being too inclusive to ruling anyone out! What it is going to help us Christians the most these days, it is not how much we objectively know about Christianity or Jesus Christ; I believe it is more a subjective, personal, relational, and experiential encounter with the Living God who wills to relate to us in Christ. God’s Household is built around Christ and everyone is welcome.
Second, The Household of God, that sacred place of encounter, of growth, and of purpose is also a place for unity. Unity, what an elusive experience! It is easy to be skeptic when it comes to the church and when dealing to some of the insurmountable differences we seem to have; theological, historical, denominational, racial, cultural or even provincial—differences that are understandable though not justifiable by any means in most cases. I have often repeated what I also heard others say, something I believe can help us focus and covenant to come together: we must agree that we have things in common but also that we have disagreements; disagreements that we must not allow them to separate us.
The writer to the Ephesians said, “He is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility.” The household-church in the first century that is being addressed in the text, was a church that brought together Jews and Gentiles in spite of their cultural, religious, and historical differences. It was really difficult for the Jews but the claim was that Jesus “[abolished] in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself a new humanity in place of the two.” Jesus can mix oil and water to stay together and the water will still be water, and the oil, oil!
Being one and united is not simple; let’s face it. Yet, it is still God’s doing so it must be possible. It requires the attitude and the humility of Jesus—the one who is at the center—and the ability of letting go; letting go power, control, and privilege. We will hear even very well intentioned and loving Christians shoot back, “Who would ever give up power, or control, or privilege? But isn’t precisely the core of the Christian message, the paradox of God’s work, giving up His glory, and power, and dominion, to become human and thus extend us His grace and forgiveness? We can perhaps have only glimpses of the unity in Christ in this age. Yet, it is worth to count it as victory when we can overcome our disagreements and engage in mission together; mission to a world that desperately needs a model of a household that is not perfect but somehow incarnates God’s eternal purpose of bringing all things together under Jesus Christ.
Third, the household-church is a place of peace; another of the greatest challenges of our age and perhaps of all times. Conflict and violence have been and are everywhere. And conflict is so widespread that encompasses the warring clashes of families, neighborhoods, cities, and nations. It seems that for many, violence is the only option available to solve human disagreements. Many wars have being fought and are being fought and I don’t believe not a single one has really solved or is going to solve the problem at stake and the cost in human life has always been too high. In fact, I am convinced that war always has hidden purposes serving interests beyond of what it pretends to solve and most of the time leaves the fighters empty handed. I reluctantly accept that in our fallen humanity, we may have to call it inevitable sometimes. But the language, the beliefs, and the action of the children of the household of God must be directed toward making peace in the world, in our country, and in our households.
“He is our peace… that he might create in himself one new humanity… through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it… So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” Peace can be equated with our deepest hopes both in this life and in the one to come. It is that sense of wholeness, of fulfillment, and of complete happiness that only God can provide. We can all attest how elusive it is. Yet, we must proclaim it, promote it, and advance it through our work. Christ brings us together as God’s children into a household with no dividing walls where the needs of all are met. And that is quite a task; a task that in our attempt to fulfill it we will be only scratching the surface. Yet God may be telling us today that the small church; the church that still has among its member some “Don Quixotes” who believe in the impossible; and who have dreams and are not willing to relinquish them; the small church may be the way God has to penetrate the world and fulfill His purpose of bringing all things together under Jesus Christ.
Folks, we are a small church. So it is good to be reminded that no matter how limited we feel we are, or how low our resources are, or how difficult the task out there is. We are learning that in this age we will not advance God’s mission by building the organization first and then doing ministry. If we keep on thinking that way, it won’t happen. We are called to build the Household of God—a work of God and human engineering—and this is done by reaching out to people, meeting the needs of folks in the community, and bringing them into that Household, our Household; it is God’s, it is ours, and of anyone; those near and those far off.
No Protocol
Old Mystic, July 12, 2009
2 Samuel 6:1-19
Summary
There is no protocol—no rules of etiquette or code of “correct” worship—when it comes to the privilege, joy, and the opportunity of celebrating the blessing of God’s presence in our midst. God welcomes honest and popular expressions of faith.
Sermon
In almost 25 years of ministry and a whole life in church, I have had my own share of discussions, controversies, and even conflicts about how we should worship or what is the “right way” of doing things when it comes to the praise and adoration of our God. I must affirm here once again that I personally do not believe that there is such a thing as a “book” on liturgy. After all, as Baptists we dwell in our principles of freedom, especially the principle of “Soul Liberty,” by which we declare that we have freedom of conscience and we are free to relate directly with God in prayer and worship with no interference of any human agent. So… there is no protocol for true Baptists when it comes to how we are going to engage in worshipping the Living God who is in our midst!
Of course, we have guidelines. For that reason we abide by covenants whereby we agree on how we are going to do certain things as a congregation and the beliefs we share and agree upon. But covenants themselves tacitly acknowledge that we leave out those things which we do not agree about—which are left to our freedom of conscience. As congregations—not that we include the worship style in our covenants generally speaking—we agree on how we do things and we have both spoken and unspoken rules. But we also know that nobody can tell us how we are going to approach the Living God.
In today’s passage we find King David freely celebrating God’s presence at a special moment in the history of the people of Israel. He had fought for 20 years to consolidate his kingdom, he had conquered the city that was going to be the capital of his kingdom, and then the time had come when he was finally being recognized as king. Only one thing was needed—and David was very aware of it: bringing home the Ark of the Covenant. The ark was a box that contained Aaron’s rod and the tablets of the law and that symbolized God’s presence. It had accompanied the Israelites through their wanderings in the desert but had been captured by the Philistines who had also undergone disaster when they tried to keep it in their pagan temple. At that point, it was resting in the home of a man called Abinadab. And David wanted to bring God’s presence to his house and to his city.
So the time had come to recover the ark—that powerful symbol of God’s presence that for ancient folks was more than a symbol—it was God’s very presence. And that made the transportation of the artifact very risky. It was set on a new cart pulled by oxen and guarded by Abinadab’s two sons: Uzzah and Ahio. David and the people walked in front dancing in celebration and harps and lyres and all sorts of percussion instruments were sounding. Everything was ready for a triumphal journey into Jerusalem where the ark belonged.
They strongly believed that God was there, in their midst and that prompted them to celebrate with joy. For them, it was a fact. God was so close to them that it was even dangerous, as they learned later. They were not caught by doctrines of transcendence or immanence. They did not think of God being way beyond this world and unreachable for them or as a deity that can be found everywhere and in everything with no supernatural significance. It was the all powerful, transcendent yet ever present, and distant yet very close loving God that had made them His people. The Living God, the creator of the universe, was right there in that very spot with them and among them. So they danced and sang with joy.
Is it a fact for us that God is here? Does this presence prompt us to dance with joy or express that fulfillment in some sort of way agreeable to our culture? There is no protocol about how to worship the God that is among us and with us. We may choose ways of worship that are more akin to our New England culture. Is it silent reflection? Quiet prayer? Singing traditional hymns? Or praise songs that flow from the mainstream of the American Christian culture? It doesn’t really matter. The point is that when we experience God’s presence we have to celebrate! It has to be our way, our own way but let us celebrate because God’s presence is a fact.
And God’s presence is a fact because God has made it more evident to us than it was for the Israelites transporting the Ark. Jesus came to the world to reconnect us with God—that is why he was also called Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” Furthermore, by receiving the Christ into our lives we have been granted the Holy Spirit to abide in us. Do we need any other evidence of God’s presence?
But the transporting of the Ark was not easy; it was a risky business. As the procession went on toward the King’s city, something atrocious happened. On the grounds of the threshing floor of Nacon, because of the movement of the oxen, the box shook and prompted Uzzah—poor, unfortunate Uzzah—to reach out to the ark and touch it in an attempt to hold it so it wouldn’t fall. Right in the act he was struck dead for his sacrilege. This is, undoubtedly, very difficult to explain to a 21st century onlooker. Was the box so holy that it shouldn’t be touched? Why God was not merciful enough to forgive Uzzah’s impropriety? Don’t we know God as a God of forgiveness? It is confusing, and David was so angry and confused that he needed quite some time to recover from this disappointment before he tried to attempt again to take the ark back home.
And so the ark rested in the house of Obed-edom for three months and during that time there were no more incidents. In fact, Obed’s household was blessed by the presence of the Ark—by God’s presence. When David heard about of all the good things that happened to that family because of the ark, he decided to go back and retrieve it to take it to his city. Yet, something was clear to all: God’s presence is a privilege. Our relationship with the Living God id something serious, that cannot be taken from granted, or lightly. God’s presence prompts us to celebrate but at the same time to bow at His presence. That is what worship is all about: expressing with awe and fear but at the same time with joy and jubilation our sense of his blissful presence.
And the joy, happiness, and exultation before God’s presence were renewed in David. Taking off his robe, with dancing, and singing, and at the sound of harps, and lyres, and cymbals, and tambourines, he and the people led the ark into the city and lay it to rest in the tent that David had prepared. It was a very special day and the celebration was wide open. All the people participated except for Michal—David’s wife. The people danced and sang and went home with a gift from the king and the celebration continued in the homes as they shared their cakes of bread, their portions of meat, and their cakes of raisins. Many were beginning to learn that God’s presence is for everyone, not just for a few. And as God makes Himself available to all, God welcomes our free expressions of worship and adoration. There is no protocol.
When Michal, David’s wife, saw the happy procession and the king dancing and jumping she despised him because he had made himself vulgar by uncovering in front of the people. David’s response was powerful; “It was before the Lord… that I have danced… I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in my own eyes.” David did not care what anyone said; he would do anything he needed to do to worship the Living God and celebrate His presence.
God is with us, among us, and in us. We are not in church just because we hold the expectation to meet God sometime in a distant future and somewhere far away; God will be fully revealed to us when we meet Him face to face. Yet, God is here now and His presence can be experienced in a powerful way. And we can celebrate with all our might as we experience the joy of his presence! We can rejoice and worship our way, honestly, openly, and not constrained by anyone, as we can also rest in his loving arms. Let us find our own ways of enjoying and celebrating God’s ineffable presence among us.
2 Samuel 6:1-19
Summary
There is no protocol—no rules of etiquette or code of “correct” worship—when it comes to the privilege, joy, and the opportunity of celebrating the blessing of God’s presence in our midst. God welcomes honest and popular expressions of faith.
Sermon
In almost 25 years of ministry and a whole life in church, I have had my own share of discussions, controversies, and even conflicts about how we should worship or what is the “right way” of doing things when it comes to the praise and adoration of our God. I must affirm here once again that I personally do not believe that there is such a thing as a “book” on liturgy. After all, as Baptists we dwell in our principles of freedom, especially the principle of “Soul Liberty,” by which we declare that we have freedom of conscience and we are free to relate directly with God in prayer and worship with no interference of any human agent. So… there is no protocol for true Baptists when it comes to how we are going to engage in worshipping the Living God who is in our midst!
Of course, we have guidelines. For that reason we abide by covenants whereby we agree on how we are going to do certain things as a congregation and the beliefs we share and agree upon. But covenants themselves tacitly acknowledge that we leave out those things which we do not agree about—which are left to our freedom of conscience. As congregations—not that we include the worship style in our covenants generally speaking—we agree on how we do things and we have both spoken and unspoken rules. But we also know that nobody can tell us how we are going to approach the Living God.
In today’s passage we find King David freely celebrating God’s presence at a special moment in the history of the people of Israel. He had fought for 20 years to consolidate his kingdom, he had conquered the city that was going to be the capital of his kingdom, and then the time had come when he was finally being recognized as king. Only one thing was needed—and David was very aware of it: bringing home the Ark of the Covenant. The ark was a box that contained Aaron’s rod and the tablets of the law and that symbolized God’s presence. It had accompanied the Israelites through their wanderings in the desert but had been captured by the Philistines who had also undergone disaster when they tried to keep it in their pagan temple. At that point, it was resting in the home of a man called Abinadab. And David wanted to bring God’s presence to his house and to his city.
So the time had come to recover the ark—that powerful symbol of God’s presence that for ancient folks was more than a symbol—it was God’s very presence. And that made the transportation of the artifact very risky. It was set on a new cart pulled by oxen and guarded by Abinadab’s two sons: Uzzah and Ahio. David and the people walked in front dancing in celebration and harps and lyres and all sorts of percussion instruments were sounding. Everything was ready for a triumphal journey into Jerusalem where the ark belonged.
They strongly believed that God was there, in their midst and that prompted them to celebrate with joy. For them, it was a fact. God was so close to them that it was even dangerous, as they learned later. They were not caught by doctrines of transcendence or immanence. They did not think of God being way beyond this world and unreachable for them or as a deity that can be found everywhere and in everything with no supernatural significance. It was the all powerful, transcendent yet ever present, and distant yet very close loving God that had made them His people. The Living God, the creator of the universe, was right there in that very spot with them and among them. So they danced and sang with joy.
Is it a fact for us that God is here? Does this presence prompt us to dance with joy or express that fulfillment in some sort of way agreeable to our culture? There is no protocol about how to worship the God that is among us and with us. We may choose ways of worship that are more akin to our New England culture. Is it silent reflection? Quiet prayer? Singing traditional hymns? Or praise songs that flow from the mainstream of the American Christian culture? It doesn’t really matter. The point is that when we experience God’s presence we have to celebrate! It has to be our way, our own way but let us celebrate because God’s presence is a fact.
And God’s presence is a fact because God has made it more evident to us than it was for the Israelites transporting the Ark. Jesus came to the world to reconnect us with God—that is why he was also called Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” Furthermore, by receiving the Christ into our lives we have been granted the Holy Spirit to abide in us. Do we need any other evidence of God’s presence?
But the transporting of the Ark was not easy; it was a risky business. As the procession went on toward the King’s city, something atrocious happened. On the grounds of the threshing floor of Nacon, because of the movement of the oxen, the box shook and prompted Uzzah—poor, unfortunate Uzzah—to reach out to the ark and touch it in an attempt to hold it so it wouldn’t fall. Right in the act he was struck dead for his sacrilege. This is, undoubtedly, very difficult to explain to a 21st century onlooker. Was the box so holy that it shouldn’t be touched? Why God was not merciful enough to forgive Uzzah’s impropriety? Don’t we know God as a God of forgiveness? It is confusing, and David was so angry and confused that he needed quite some time to recover from this disappointment before he tried to attempt again to take the ark back home.
And so the ark rested in the house of Obed-edom for three months and during that time there were no more incidents. In fact, Obed’s household was blessed by the presence of the Ark—by God’s presence. When David heard about of all the good things that happened to that family because of the ark, he decided to go back and retrieve it to take it to his city. Yet, something was clear to all: God’s presence is a privilege. Our relationship with the Living God id something serious, that cannot be taken from granted, or lightly. God’s presence prompts us to celebrate but at the same time to bow at His presence. That is what worship is all about: expressing with awe and fear but at the same time with joy and jubilation our sense of his blissful presence.
And the joy, happiness, and exultation before God’s presence were renewed in David. Taking off his robe, with dancing, and singing, and at the sound of harps, and lyres, and cymbals, and tambourines, he and the people led the ark into the city and lay it to rest in the tent that David had prepared. It was a very special day and the celebration was wide open. All the people participated except for Michal—David’s wife. The people danced and sang and went home with a gift from the king and the celebration continued in the homes as they shared their cakes of bread, their portions of meat, and their cakes of raisins. Many were beginning to learn that God’s presence is for everyone, not just for a few. And as God makes Himself available to all, God welcomes our free expressions of worship and adoration. There is no protocol.
When Michal, David’s wife, saw the happy procession and the king dancing and jumping she despised him because he had made himself vulgar by uncovering in front of the people. David’s response was powerful; “It was before the Lord… that I have danced… I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in my own eyes.” David did not care what anyone said; he would do anything he needed to do to worship the Living God and celebrate His presence.
God is with us, among us, and in us. We are not in church just because we hold the expectation to meet God sometime in a distant future and somewhere far away; God will be fully revealed to us when we meet Him face to face. Yet, God is here now and His presence can be experienced in a powerful way. And we can celebrate with all our might as we experience the joy of his presence! We can rejoice and worship our way, honestly, openly, and not constrained by anyone, as we can also rest in his loving arms. Let us find our own ways of enjoying and celebrating God’s ineffable presence among us.
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