Faithfulness: Dance
Worship is a Joyous Response
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Rev. Tim Callow
Preached Sun. July 11th, 2021
By this point King David has assumed the throne of Israel. By the power of the Lord he has been able to quell Israel’s enemies. Israel has even grown to such power that neighboring kings render them tribute. God has blessed David, and by extension all of Israel, exceedingly. How is David to respond to God’s faithfulness? To God’s abundant gifts? To God’s lavish grace?
So too we have known the grace of God. Paul tells us God has “blessed us in Christ withe very spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.” And, “He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us.”
God has indeed lavished us generously with his grace. Perhaps more than generously, perhaps extravagantly and even recklessly. What has God gifted us? But God has gifted us the forgiveness of our sins in Christ. All the mistakes we’ve made, all the wrongs we have committed, all our faults, God would wipe clean and cast aside as far as the east is from the west. God will not count any of it against us, out of his sheer grace. And what else? But not content simply to forgive us our sins, God would adopt as as his own children. He would make us all sisters and brothers, he would make us heirs of a heavenly inheritance. That is to say, he would make us inheritors of an eternal life. We would know his peace, his love, his joy, forevermore.
But let’s not stop there, what more would God gift us? But God would gift us an eternal life that is not only to be known in the world to come, but an eternal life that can be known here and now. We do not need to wait until we die to know heaven, but we can experience heaven here and now. We can know that peace here and now, we can experience his love here and now, we can dance in joy here and now. God desires for us to grow in intimate relationship with him, God desires for us to share what we have found with others. God wants to work through us to share his love and sanctify this world.
All this God gives us in his Son Jesus Christ. All this and more. We would also receive every blessing in the heavenly realms: gifts of leadership, of stewardship, of languages, of healings, of listening, of serving, of pastoring, of hospitality, of fellowship, and on and on. He would gift us this wondrous journey, this adventure, of being part of this tsunami of grace and would sweep the world.
We certainly know the grace of God. David knew peace in his borders and the presence of God in his ark, we know peace in our hearts and the presence of God in worship. How does David respond to the grace he knew?
He dances with all his might before the Lord.
How could he not? He has known the faithfulness of God in the grace he bestows. When we receive a gift we can’t help but give thanks and gratitude. When we receive the grace of God we can’t help but worship. How does David worship? But he dances. Foolishly. Simply. Naively. He embarrasses his wife Michal, who despises him for it. He is so full of joy, he cannot help but dance like no one is watching, while everyone is watching. He has no sense of propriety. He very simply offers up his joy and worship in an almost primal way.
When we gather in worship we are like a host of Davids. As David responds to God’s generous faithfulness and abundant grace, we too respond to God’s work in worship. Worship of God is always a response to what God has already done. It is a joyous response, a noble response, a dignified response, but it can also be a simple and foolish response.
We all respond to the wondrous works of almighty God in the way that our heart sings. How did David’s heart sing before the Lord? It sung in ecstatic dance. How do our hearts sing before the Lord? In offering up our prayer and praise? In beautiful music? In the rapt hearing of scripture? In meditation? In silence? In shouts?
Michal despises David because she is embarrassed by how David’s heart responds to the acts of the Lord. She despises him because she is embarrassed by his joy. We may not all be David. But let us not be Michal. It is good for us to rejoice before God in the ways that our heart speaks. To respond to his wondrous acts in the ways our hearts lead us. For indeed, we have received every generous grace, we have received abundant blessings beyond all measure. What can we do but pray? What can we do but sing? What can we do but dance?