Rev. Dr. Katherine Adams is the pastor of First Congregational Church in Billerica, MA. She is passionate about building strong communities and working to engage beyond the walls of the local church. Central to her theology is to love neighbors and to create room for grace. Katherine and her husband Jon live a joyful and chaotic life with three cats, four dogs, and eight ducks.
Scripture: 2 Samuel 6:12-17 (NRSV)
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 paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with 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 trumpet.
As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal 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.
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 offerings of well-being before the Lord.
Reflection: Don’t You Just Hate It When Someone Rains On Your Parade?
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King David had abandoned the ark of the covenant with Obed-edom after Uzzah met an untimely death after touching the ark. Yet after abandoning the ark for three months he learned that God had blessed Obed-edom and his household, so he snatched it back and brought it up to Jerusalem with public ritual and celebration. David shouted and leapt and danced before the Lord—and everyone else. His first wife, Michal, despised him for the spectacle (and perhaps for abandoning her, but that’s another story.) Perchance Michal saw deeper into this public display and believed David celebrated because he was gaining political power and elevating himself in the eyes of the community.
It makes me wonder who we dance before when we bring our Scriptures up to our holy temples.
We too might perform for an audience other than God in our worship. We might excite ourselves and the congregation to feel real good about ourselves, go out on a real high, and leave God wanting. We are living in a time of showmanship and consumer culture. It has to trend to have value. We forget that in this dance that we call worship, God is the audience, the congregation is the performer, and we are merely prompters.
Perhaps we need a Michal to remind us who is the object of our worship. It’s about God, not us. Do we recognize when we are waltzing in the spotlight as in Dancing with the Stars rather than leading a conga line closer to God amid a joyful chorus?
Have we forgotten God’s power? Forgotten that Uzzah was struck dead after touching the ark? Forgotten that God will not look kindly upon the use of our Holy Words for political and personal gain? It’s become obvious as we listen to the national rhetoric proclaiming a Christian agenda that we have forgotten. Forgotten that God lifts up the downtrodden, proclaims good news to the poor, requires that the foreigner among us be treated as native born, and that God hates a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, and a heart that devises wicked plans. Woe to the church!
It’s so easy to get fired up, respond to fiery rhetoric with our own progressive fiery rhetoric. But before we lay down a beat and bust a move maybe a little rain must fall so that we come humbly before God, giving God the glory. Give God the glory, give God the glory, give God the glory for the things he hath done.
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PRAYER
Holy God, remind us when we get caught up in public displays of worship that you are the one for whom we are performing. Help us to set our eyes upon you and to give you the glory. Amen.
New Prayer Requests:
We ask churches and church leaders to join us in the following prayers either by sharing them during worship, printing them in bulletins, or sharing them in some other way. To make a prayer request, please contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane at cochranem@sneucc.org.
Prayers of Intercession:
- Prayers for peace as wars and conflicts continue to escalate around the world. Injustices and inequalities manifest as racism, discrimination, gender-based violence, economic disparities, and other issues.
- For those grieving or suffering due to the ~8,500 gun violence deaths that happened in the US since the start of the year.
- For churches facing maturing ministries and looking for ways to extend the lifespan of the church.
Prayers of Joy and Thanksgiving:
- For those who play a role in listening and supporting our neighbors with mental health issues.
- For the many ministries carried out by the Conference, its 570 congregations, 1,400 clergy, and 100,000+ members.
- For the ability to pray together. (You are invited to participate in Pause for Prayer, Wednesdays @ 12:30, Live on Facebook. Add your prayers through the chat feature, and recordings can be found on the SNEUCC Facebook page or our webpage.)
This Week in History:
July 11, 1656 (368 years ago): Two Englishwomen become the first Quaker colonists to immigrate to the American colonies, and shortly after arriving in Massachusetts, are arrested and jailed because their liberal teachings enraged the Puritan colonial government. [History]
“Study the past if you would define the future.”
— Confucius
