How Can I Keep From Singing?

The Ephesians text was tempting to the worship team and my monthly worship advisor and so we are going to do a service of singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Well, we won't be singing psalms unfortunately, that would be a fun challenge for Brethren. And we won't actually be singing what you'd call "spirituals" altho we've looked at a few lately. (Not sure we can do them justice.) BUT, we will be raising a joyful noise.

I love the psalms and they are at their best when they remind us to join our voices in joyful praise. With two short meditations, I won't be 'taking the week off' as you might think. I actually want to toy with the idea that praise and singing changes our very nature. Off to visit some websites on endorphins and maybe spend some time at my blogger friend's site who does a wonderful job incorporating music with God's good news.

Other ideas for my meditations are welcome. The worship is laid out and the hymns chosen and all but one reader in place. Maybe there will be time tomorrow to sing a tune on the golf course. Ah, to praise God and swing my driver. How could I keep from singing?

And then there's the Beach Boys who can always hear music. (1969)

Loving Bread

I haven't been preaching from John and so I welcome the opportunity to read the multitude of resources and develop the sermon for Sunday on John 6:35, 41-51. Yet what else can be said about bread?

I find it troubling that it used to be easy to give up bread for a diet but now I miss it terribly when I do. There's the multi-grain chewy delicious rolls from Wegmans that I've been lightly toasting lately. So filling and so delicious and if, Dean Ornish is correct, they are actually good for me.

Then there's Harris Teeter's whole wheat baguettes that are so nutty flavored and perfect to wipe up the last few drops of sauce. And bagels from Shoppers or Einsteins at Target's food center can't be beat with either 'lite butter' (actually omega 3 oil margarine) or with cream cheese.

And then there is Panera's, full of not-so-good-for-you breads and pastries. Salty breads and sweet baked delights all call to me at this stage of life in a voice I didn't hear when I was younger. Were the options less then or my needs different? How was it that I experience bread differently in this stage of life?

Jesus' as the "I am" of life, the "I am the bread of life" sounds to me like simple nutrition. Take in Jesus and you will be nourished. Eat your fill, its/he's good for you. Maybe at this point of life Jesus, like the bread I love to ingest, offers more than simple nutrition. Maybe I'm in need of a greater filling.

I love the smell of the bakeries in today's large stores and I love the chewy, nutty taste of the many multigrain breads. It's more than nutrition, its pure enjoyment of the taste. Is Jesus saying he offers more than what I need? Can I have something that is both good for me and delicious?

I think that concept will be worth exploring on Sunday because Jesus likes to surprise us with good things and eye-opening statements. Ingest me, he says and live forever. What's not to like?

Equipment or Equipping?

I enjoyed working with David's difficult story last week but it feels good to come back to the NT and Ephesians 4, one of my favorite passages. I used it in my theory of Christian ed., about our responsibility for helping each other grow "into the One. ." But this week I was surprised to look deeper into the Greek (thanks to some exegetical writing by G. Porter Taylor in Feasting On The Word) and spent some time with the word καταρτισμον. Here's the definition I found that echoes Taylor's summary, "a process of adjustment that results in a complete preparedness". But that didn't go deep enough so I went to other sources including Zerwick and found the reference to setting a broken bone. So equipping is about alignment or even getting adjusted by the chiropractor. hmmm

Being in alignment with God is one of my favorite metaphors because I hate it when my car gets out of alignment and veers out of the lane. Perhaps because I am all too likely to be using only one hand. (They passed the law against texting while driving for me. I don't do it now.) Currently I think my car pulls a little to the left, which can take you into the stripes of the road, or the little raised reflectors. When I hear the thump, thump, thump of tire over reflector it's time to straighten up- and quickly.

Maybe that's what the author of Ephesians is doing, providing a bit of a 'thump, thump' warning for us and reminding us to 'straighten up'. Yet Taylor points out that its not us who do the aligning. God is the master mechanic, all we can do is make ourselves as pliable as possible. This concept challenges my theory of Christian education a bit. How do we loosen our tight grip on life and become more pliable so God can align us?

The rest of the letter may help by reminding us that we are in community and meant to live that way. "Walking the life"( περιπατησαι ) together and practicing the rituals of our faith. When we participate together, worship together, commune together we are bound to soften up and be better prepared for Divine alignment.

Now I'm imaging the bumper cars of communal life softening us up with lots of jerking around. I think that will be another post someday.

David and Bathsheba

What should a preacher say about David's sordid story? What is there left to say after generations have dealt with it? Today I read a quote from Henri Nouwen about stories;

[A] story creates space. We can dwell in a story, walk around, find our own place. The story confronts but does not oppress; the story inspires but does not manipulate, the story invites us to an encounter, a dialog, a mutual sharing.

If so, is it enough to just tell the story well? How can I, as preacher, set up the "encounter" that we might share in it in a way that opens us to the change it invites? Nouwen also says,

"A story opens a door and offers us space in which to search and boundaries to help us find what we seek, but it does not tell us what to do or how to do it."

It takes careful "preaching" to not TELL or even set up a desired outcome, but to let each person's 'encounter' with the story take them to the place of finding what they seek. That is the challenge of this week. Entering into a familiar story, hearing something new, and mostly hearing something that speaks to our lives today.

It must be why we need preachers, right?

I return to Nouwen for final inspiration before I compose the words I will add to David's story.

As long as we can remind each other of the lives of men and women in whom the love of God becomes manifest, there is reason to move forward to a new land in which new stories are hidden.

Thank you Henri, for inspiration and for your story.

Phyllis TIckle

I heard Phyllis Tickle speak at Annual Conference. (Walt always gets the best people for the Messenger Dinner.) Then discovered this video on a friend's blog. See if you can right click on it to watch it on You Tube or make it full screen. It is well worth the 3 minutes! Then we can converse about it.

Delightful Dance

• HOW DOES IT FEEL TO RECEIVE SOMETHING UNEXPECTED? (they answer) What word would you use to describe how you feel?

• “Delightful?”
• We are used to seeing the plate passed and being expected to give.
David gave everyone ‘bread and a cake of raisins’ out of his joy. He made sure that everyone would share in God’s blessing. He extended the celebration into every home. It had to make him popular.
It reminded me of the promise of ‘a chicken in every pot’. I’m pretty sure David wasn’t the first politician to think of giving away something sweet (or at least promising to do so) in order to win the affection of his people, Or to offer them something from the blessing he received. I imagine both thoughts crossed his mind.

I may not be the first preacher to offer a cookie in order to have her sermon judged acceptable either. Hmmmm.

We understand David’s giving stemmed from the joy he felt that came from God’s presence with him - in its concrete, physical form of the Ark.
You remember; the Ark was a chest containing the Tablets of the Covenant between the LORD and Israel. The Ark served as a throne for the ‘LORD of Hosts’ On its cover were two Cherubim, probably creatures with
the body of a lion or bull,
the head of a human, and
the wings of an eagle. In the ancient Near East, such creatures used to flank royal thrones.
The Ark accompanied God’s people into the Holy Land and LATER was the holiest object in the 1st Temple when it was built. But the Ark has been separated from God’s people because the Philistines captured it in the great battle with Israel in the days of Eli. In fact, it was the news of this great battle; the loss of the Ark and the death of his sons that caused Eli to fall, break his neck and die. Being near the Ark – the seat of God’s power, can be dangerous.

As our story explains the Ark has been at the home of Abinadab for about 20 years, a lifetime for a young adult. And David decides to bring it to his new HQ, the NEW city of David, Jerusalem.

You may be wondering how the story of King David’s celebration and dance relate to our everyday lives. Let’s see if we can find some connections to this interesting story.

We have to realize that David is not a simple man. We need to leave behind our Sunday School images of David because he is a man of complex motives. You probably began to wonder about them as you heard his story explained.

HE has consolidated the Jewish people following battles and defections. (Samuel I & II have so many good stories with twists and turns like soap operas, they might be classified as ‘beach reading’.)

David has created a new capital city on the border of the 2 kingdoms; --- Israel (to the North) and Judah (South) -- which are BOTH now under his rule. AND he’s been busy building a new Royal Family.
“He added wives and concubines and fathered eleven more sons - the text of the previous chapter says in addition to the first 6 by 6 different wives (5:13-16). He is a busy man. A foreign king acknowledges him (5:11), and David once again defeats the Philistines, this time rather extensively (5:1-25). He has become "greater and greater."

David’s initial decision (v.1) to get the Ark and bring it to Jerusalem has religious AND political UNDERtones.
Religiously; the Ark of Presence which once guided God’s people, would be returned to a place of honor and eventually a temple would be built around it (by David’s son, Solomon.) A priestly celebration that includes sacrifices and gifts to the people is an appropriate way to bring the Ark of God’s presence into its new home.
Politically; This symbol of God’s power will shore up David’s own power and ‘bless’ the new vision of a monarchy united under David. The (former) kingship of Saul left much to be desired, and the transition to a new administration has involved fighting and now victory for David. He needs to solidify his base and bring the people of both kingdoms together. And he needs to connect his efforts to God’s wishes so he can keep the respect of his people. Gifts won’t hurt.

We can ask if David’s motives are pure but we can’t really know the answer. If we read enough about David and his life we will learn he’s a complicated man of multiple motives, very much like us.

How often do you hear religious pontificating and wonder if any of it is self-serving? How often do you view your own motivation and realize there is often more than one reason for doing something or for giving a gift?

Do you remember Billy Graham’s many visits with the presidents? A Time magazine writer, Diana Walker, speculated a bit about motives and the intertwining of religion and politics;

How far could a pastor go without becoming part of the political game? (She asks) Graham was the most famous preacher on earth. Simply by standing next to Presidents, he conferred a blessing both on them and on their policies. Every one of them was aware of this, in ways that Graham sometimes was not.
Was it crossing a line when he invited presidential candidates to his crusades or sent along suggestions for their speeches at National Prayer Breakfasts? What about when he lobbied lawmakers on behalf of a poverty bill or an arms deal, or consulted with candidates on their campaign ads or their running mates?
It was one thing to serve as Eisenhower's or Johnson's private pastor. But it was quite another to act as Nixon's political partner, carrying private messages to foreign heads of state, advising on campaign strategy and assembling evangelical leaders for private White House briefings.

There were times when Graham brought out the best in Nixon--and times as well when Nixon brought out the worst in Graham.

If there is a bottom line in such matters of people, politics and religion, its that humans are delightfully complicated beings.
We can learn from David’s experience and his fear following Uzzah’s death that God’s power is greater than human motive and will not be manipulated. We can also note from David’s story, from Billy Graham’s story and from that of any president’s - that the fallout from our decisions spills into other people’s lives. Taking personal responsibility for our actions doesn’t mean others won’t pay a price for our misdeeds.
Life and our relationship to our AWESOME God is also delightfully complicated. There is more to David’s story that can speak to us.

David’s 2nd attempt at moving the Ark after a 3 month break - is successful and includes his solitary dance that must have raised some eyebrows. He is risking a lot with his behavior and the story shows us two ways of looking at it.
1. David’s joy is so complete that he sheds - along with his clothes – the trappings of Kingship; all the elegant robes AND the refined dignity of a Ruler are left behind in order to ‘dance his joy’ before the LORD. He is offering himself and his actions as a sacrifice after the initial sacrifice of animals. It is a gift to God.
2. (but) Then there is Michal’s (sor MeeCHAL, Hebrew prounounciation) viewpoint. She is the daughter of the previous King and knows how a King should act. She is right in acknowledging the prohibition of exposure of the human body, at least certain parts of it. There are numerous stories in biblical history condemning for such exposure. She is upset at her husband behavior and believe his gift is self-serving.
Who is right? We don’t really know except to see that David’s dance wearing a priestly garment isn’t rejected by supernatural action.
They travel all of 6 paces to be sure before sacrificing and beginning the dance.
David’s exuberant offering to God of joyful dance seems to be accepted.
Whether his exposing himself was undignified and showing off to slave girls, or the expression of humility before God - we just don’t know. David also acts against Michal, never fathering a child with her which seals his dynasty and ends that of Saul’s, Michal’s father. Their will be NO joint heir. Does David have Dual motives? Quite possibly. David is both a religious being and a political one, AND he is blessed in many ways.

What we find from this story is that God can work with humans, real humans, like us- who have dual motives and layers of reasons for our actions. If only we are willing to risk involvement and give our true expression to God.

David’s dance of delight and joy are at the heart of the message for us today.

God’s presence demands celebration and so does the expectation of blessings to come. David’s reaction is not typical. The dance of delight is too much expression for most of us. We are more lightly to THINK exuberance but hold back our action. Perhaps we are more like timid teenagers at a dance. Try this picture on for size.

(by William McNamara)
“You are responsible for fifty teen-agers. [Rather young ones.] So you gather them together and put them in the fellowship hall and tell them to dance. Leaving someone in charge of the music, You go for a cup of coffee.
You return and witness this scene, four or five girls dancing in the middle of the room, and all the guys hugging the walls.”

Does that sound familiar? Perhaps its “pathetic” but is it an accurate image of Christ’s Church today?
At the heart there are a few live ones, participating, doing the Christ dance, re-enacting the mystery of faith, the birth-death-resurrection of the Everlasting man.

The rest of us are hugging the walls, cuddling up to the institution and the structure, smugly and securely “doing our thing” on the threshold of the Church; and from that safe distance we watch and discuss the appropriateness of the action at the center.

We seem a long way from King David and delightful dance, don’t we? We don’t risk, our giving or our involvement by giving ourselves. IF anything, we tend to stake our money on the safety at the edges instead of risking coming close to God’s presence and what God can do with our energy and passion.

Why are we more like the teens at the edge of the room? Are we afraid of –
- being embarrassed or of getting too involved?
- Or Are we afraid that God will expose us, and discover we often have dual motives? Pause
-
Can we accept God’s blessing and risk the places it(God) may take us? It might mean allowing ourselves to be open to the potential of being shockingly, utterly transformed by our boundless, amazing, wonderful ‘known-yet-unknown’ God.

We can learn much from King David. He lived a full and complex life. He is remembered for his greatness and yet the stories of his mistakes are repeated along with the glories of his successes. Still God blessed him and used him.

God can use us.

God accepts our offerings of passion and delight and uses us for good. God knows our motives and works with us and thru us to accomplish great things for all people. God can use everything and anything we give.
We are at the dance.
Some of us are timid and afraid of being exposed.
Some of our dance cards are too full to wait for the amazing partnership God has in mind.
Some of us are wondering if our passionate dancing will be accepted or judged.

What is keeping you at the edge of the room? What keeps you from sharing your gifts and dancing?

Question and Answer

Sunday we had a wonderful experience in worship of hearing three members speak of their experience of questioning God. Their stories touched us and their pain resonated with our stories. We were still left with our questions, we were just touched by their faithful response.

Theodicy has been a central religious issue for- well ever. Read the Psalms and you 'hear' the cry of God's people again and again. I just read a good perspective on our struggles written by Keith Giles and posted at The Ooze. How can God allow. . .?

"For now we live in a fallen world. God is still in control, but more often than not God allows things to happen and He works through the wreckage.

We are co-workers with God in this effort. He allows us the honor of extending grace to the sinner, comfort to the afflicted, and hope to the hopeless.

In fact, Jesus so identifies with the poor, the broken, the imprisoned, and the outcast that he says "whatever you have done to one of the least of these you have done it to me."

So, the next time we are tempted to ask, "How can God allow...?" we have to realize that God is permissive, but He is not passive. He takes what is intended for evil and turns it to good. He is in the business of turning darkness into light, and He calls us to the same ministry of reconciliation.

Maybe, when it comes to suffering and injustice we should ask ourselves, "How can we allow..'"

I wanted to share it since it fit so well with our stories of strengthening faith along with questioning God. We have our work before us - always.

Keith Giles is a pastor who doesn't take a salary in a house church where 100% of the offering goes to help the poor in the community and within the Body. You can download his books for free over at his blog: http://www.KeithGiles.com.