Sermon at Grace Episcopal on by Lynette on July 12-2009

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12-19 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And it was told King David, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn. As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.

One of the words for worship in Hebrew is hallal. It means clamorously foolish.

Stop and think about it.

Have you ever driven up behind someone dancing in their car? You see their head banging or their body swaying. If they're really into it even their car is rocking. They look sort of foolish don't they? Why? Because you can't hear the music!

On a human plane, worship is foolish isn't it? Singing to someone you can't see! Raising your hands to someone you can't touch.

There is an old proverb: "Those who hear not the music think the dancer is mad."

I started out this week by writing today's sermon last Monday. I almost never have a sermon completed that early in the week. And I was pretty happy with it. And then something happened on Friday. Some of you know Samuel Kamuela Hanapi. He and his wife Mapu came to worship with their three kids, and the two nieces they're raising. His mom also used to come to worship with Scarlett Ritte us when she lived here on Molokai, and in fact she visited just a couple of weeks ago. On Friday morning Kamu was electrocuted in Kamalo while picking mangoes for his family. His wife and the two youngest were in the car watching because it was raining.

So I want to shift gears and talk about that. It seemed to me that maybe we could explore the scriptures and make some sense out of why something like this could happen. And as I thought about it, I realized that in my 32 plus years of ministry I have never been able to find the words to bring any kind of understanding to such tragedy. Everything I could say would seem like foolish dancing to those who cannot hear the music that comes from the Lord.

All I can do is to ask people to listen closely - to hear God's music. I certainly tell them there is a beautiful melody that sings of how God loves them even more than they can imagine. I point out the times that the Lord has played His harmonies and melodies of grace and mercy and sung over them even when they can only hear the silence of lost loved ones and personal tragedy.

And I ask them to trust God's goodness and to feel His rhythms during those times when they have lost everything and are deafened by grief.

When Job lost his entire family and fortune in one day He worshiped God, "Naked I came from my mother's womb," he said, "and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

That sounds foolish to those who cannot hear the music of God.

Here is my message about worship: if you aren't willing to look foolish you can't worship! So listen closely to the music of the Lord so that you can be a part of His symphony….

How many saw the Michael Jackson funeral this week - even bits and clips? It seemed the hot topic of conversation everywhere I went. Did any of you join in discussion about it or about Michael himself?

If the Kualapu'u Market's specially seasoned steak was on sale at for 50 cents a pound, how many of you would be tempted go check it out? I know you wouldn't buy it all for yourself. How many would to call your friends to tell them?

Now… how many of us here have been touched by the LORD? Have any of your prayers ever been answered? Have you or a family member been healed? How many have told someone who's not in the church about what Jesus has done?

You see, it's one thing to join in on a conversation about a celebrity's death or talking about a sale at the market, but for many of us, talking about what Jesus has done in our lives is different. It might be ok at church during the thank offering - because we all look foolish here a lot. But what about in the frozen foods section or at work or in the bank? I think deep down inside, all of us of us are afraid of looking foolish.

Think back to our gospel lesson. I think King Herod actually had John the Baptist beheaded, it says, "out of regard for his guests." In other words, even thought he liked John and listened to his teaching, he had him killed to avoid looking foolish!

What do you think the #1 fear that is mentioned again and again when adults are polled? It's glossophobia. No, that's not the fear of drinking glasses. Glossophobia is the fear of speaking in public. The number 1 fear listed by adults is standing up in front of a crowd and talking.

Guess what's number 2? That's right, death! That means that most people would rather die than speak in public. Why is that? Is it because they don't know how to talk? Is it because they are afraid that a monster will surge out of the microphone and grab them? The root of glossophobia is the fear of looking foolish!

No one wants to make A, except my husband who is completely unashamed (to demonstrate David and his 30,000 men responded to the music of the Lord Scotty brought in a small Weber grill from the back of the sanctuary. Then he traveled 6 whole steps and stopped for a pulehu! Then he danced for 4 yards with all he had and then they had another barbeque. And when that party was finished, they put the Ark of the Covenant into Drive and took a huge journey of 12-16 feet and put the transmission into neutral so they could party again!). Unlike Scotty, most folks succumb to the curse of being self-consciousness.

It's that fear of foolishness that keeps us squirming in our seats when the teacher asked a question in school. Sure, the brainy kids all had their hands up. But most kids tried to hide and never raised their hands in school - why? - what if their answer is wrong?

It's the fear of foolishness that made dating so scary. It kept us from asking someone out on a date because what if they say no? The fear of foolishness has kept many people from trying new jobs or from changing majors in college. Rather than be shame, they stay in circumstances where they are miserable. And it's the fear of foolishness that keeps us from whole-heartedly praying for a miracle. What if God says "No"?

Thankfully Chris and his family weren't self-conscious when they sent those cards around with their photos asking for people to pray for a child for them in December of 2007. They are parents now because they didn't let the fear of feeling foolish stop them. Yet even when we have seen the Lord do marvelous things, it's the fear of foolishness that keeps us from worshiping God whole-heartedly, as David did.

The Bible tells us that when David worshiped, he went for broke. He didn't hold anything back when He praised the Lord. He didn't care if he looked foolish. David was so stoked about the Lord that he danced with all his might. He was praising his Lord! Besides, who would criticize the king, the mightiest warrior in the land, when he danced a touchdown celebration of praise?

Noah looked foolish building an ark in the desert. Sarah looked foolish buying maternity clothes at ninety. The Israelites looked foolish marching around Jericho blowing trumpets. David looked foolish attacking Goliath with a slingshot. The Wise Men looked foolish following a bright star. Peter looked foolish stepping out of the boat in the middle of the lake in the middle of the night to walk towards Jesus. And Jesus looked foolish hanging half-naked on the cross. But in each of those instances their faith overcame their fear of looking foolish.
And the results?

Noah saved humanity from the flood. Sarah gave birth to Isaac and is considered the great grandmother of all who believe. The walls of Jericho came tumbling down. David defeated Goliath. The Wise Men found the Messiah. Peter walked on water. And Jesus rose from the dead and saved us from our sins, proving that God is even stronger than death. The apostle Paul put words to the music in 1 Corinthians when he writes, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting."

Can I tell you why some of us have never killed a giant or walked on water? It's because we're not willing to look foolish. We're not willing to attack with a slingshot or get out of the boat in the middle of the lake. In fact, we wouldn't be caught dead worshiping with all our emotions like David - I mean, what if someone sees?!

We are told that David has just been crowned the King of Israel. He had defeated their greatest enemies, the Philistines. And he was bringing the Ark of the Covenant, a special gift from God, back to Jerusalem.

He had reason to dance. This was the greatest day of his life. David was dancing so hard that we are told his underwear was showing! Here's what impresses me about David. He wasn't afraid of taking off his royal robes and dancing without hindrance and without inhibition before the Lord.

But not everyone joined in the celebration with all their might 2 Samuel 6:16 says, "As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart."

Let me make an observation. No, it isn't that we need to all take off our shirts and dance this morning. It is this:

When you get excited about God, don't expect everybody to join in your joy. Here's why. When the Holy Spirit turns up the BTUs, it disrupts the status quo. Some people will be inspired by what God is doing in your life. Others don't hear the music and think your praises are foolish. Some others will be convicted and they will mask their personal conviction by finding something to criticize about you.

2 Samuel 6:20 says that David went home to bless his family. And rather that joining the dance of praise, his wife Michal is dripping with sarcasm. She says, "Look at how the king of Israel has distinguished himself today by disrobing in the sight of the slave girls."

The New Living Translation says that David said to Michal, "I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this."

I can remember a scene in the movie Rocky III vividly - yes, I watched all the Rocky films. We have a son. In this scene Rocky is getting soft. He's getting cultured. He has achieved success and he loses his fire. His manager, Mick, says to Rocky that the worst thing happened that could happen to any fighter. He says, "You got civilized."

When I read the gospels, the only civilized people I see are the Pharisees. And one night at dinner, Jesus blasted the Pharisees and praised a prostitute who crashed the party and poured perfume on His feet as an act of worship.

We know what's happening in 2 Samuel 6 don't we? David hears the music. Michal doesn't. Michal is so concerned about outward appearances that she cannot hear the music and won't join in the dance of praise.

Let me put it in theological perspective.

Genesis 3:7 describes what happened the nanosecond after Adam and Eve sinned for the first time: "At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness."

The moment they sinned they become self-conscious. In other words, self-consciousness isn't just a curse. It is part of The Curse. Before the fall, there were no inhibitions in Eden.

Think of spiritual maturity as a teeter-totter. On one side is "God-consciousness" and on the other side is "self-consciousness." When we are self-conscious, we are less God-conscious. Have you ever sat on a see saw as an adult? You get on, and it's tempting to just sit there, to not ride up and down. If someone saw you flying up and down, what would they think?

We are way too preoccupied with ourselves. And that's what keeps us from worshiping God the way we could and should. The greatest moments are those moments when we let go and just praise God. It's almost an "out of body" experience.

Ephesians 5:18 says, "Don't be drunk with wine. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill you and control you." What happens when you get drunk? You lose all inhibition.

David was intoxicated with God. He took off his royal robes and lost all shame. As he focused on God he doesn't care what the world around him thinks.

You know that's what heaven will be like. We'll be so enraptured by God that we won't be thinking about ourselves. We'll be too busy enjoying God. And we will be dancing to His music forever.

Here is the practical application. The Bible tells us that because of Michal's contempt for David's dancing, she was unable to have children.

Remember the teeter-totter. Have a blast.

We can dance with all our might before the Lord. We can be God-conscious and not self-conscious and experience the joy of dancing before the Lord. Or we can be self-conscious and not God-conscious and end up barren, isolated and desolate like Michal. When those inner voices tell us that our dignity and self-consciousness is what is most important we can actually drown out the music of heaven. But it's like all good music. The closer we listen, the more we hear.

And as we get skilled in listening, even the worst tragedies can't drown out the music of His awesome love for us. That's why the Apostle Paul could write in Romans 8, "I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

If you have experienced God's overwhelming love for you, isn't it time to boogie? If all your sins are forgiven, isn't there reason to tango? Let's learn to praise Him with all our hearts and minds and bodies. And when tragedy body-slams you and the world around you asks with a sneer, "So you think you can dance?" You can say, "YES!" AMEN

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