A Sermon by Pastor Tom Lacey . . .

REAL MEN WORSHIP…and DANCE

2 Samuel 6:1-11, Preached by Tom Lacey at Congregational Church of Boca Raton, September 2, 2007

Two men, sentenced to die in the electric chair on the same day, were led down to the room in which they would meet their maker. The priest had given them last rites, the formal speech had been given by the warden, and a final prayer had been said among the participants. The warden, turning to the first man, solemnly asked, "Son, do you have a last request?" The man replied, "Yes sir, I do. I love dance music. Could you please play the Macarena for me one last time?" "Certainly," replied the warden. He turned to the other man and asked, "Well, what about you, son? What is your final request?" "Please," said the condemned man, "kill me first." That’s about how much most men like to dance.

Our text today is about worshiping, but I mean really worshiping, worship that can’t be done in a pew because it includes dancing. What David is doing is way beyond what we normally or have ever done. In the midst of this story, there is this phenomenal verse, “and David danced before the Lord with all his might.” You’ve got to remember, David was a macho man. He was a warrior, like we saw last Sunday, ready to inflict some heavy casualties with his 400 soldiers. He was very tough, having lived for years in caves and on the outskirts of civilization. And yet here he is dancing?! Have you ever watched “Dancing with the Stars?” It’s a competition in which former and present sports and entertainment stars dance with a professional dancer. Each week one couple is sent home. The best dancers actually get pretty good at the samba and foxtrot for example, and there are some top athletes among them, like Emmitt Smith, former Dallas Cowboy running back and MVP of Super Bowls, who won the year he competed. Now if Emmitt Smith can learn to love dancing, then real men can dance. Real men, like King David in our passage, worship and even dance. David the psalmist knew what it meant to worship, saying: “Give to the Lord, O you mighty ones, give to the Lord glory and strength,” (Ps.29:1) which means we are to give to the Lord our God the glory due to God. When we truly worship we bow down and kneel before the Lord our maker.” (Ps.95:6) Now we don’t need to do this physically, but we certainly are supposed to do this spiritually. And from this worshipful and spiritual position, we can “seek the Lord, and his strength.” (Ps.105:4)

What we want to see this morning is that worship is good for your soul, and really good worship is really good for your soul.

Archbishop William Temple described worship memorably: “To worship is to quicken (or awaken) the conscience by the holiness of God; to feed the mind with the truth of God; to purge the imagination by the beauty of God; to open the heart to the love of God; and to devote the will to the purpose of God.” When we truly worship God, the total effect is that of having a spirit to Holy Spirit talk. This is what should be happening here, but if not here, then where; if not now, then when. This may very well be the only hour during the next seven days that you spend with God. So don’t be afraid to let your guard down. You are here to get with God. Make it count. Put away the distractions. Turn your heart over to the Lord. Let your soul speak awhile; and let the Spirit really touch your life. Remember, this sanctuary, above all, is a place of worship. This is a sanctuary of souls.

In 2 Samuel, chapter 6, David and 30,000 chosen Israelites are bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. The last mention of the ark before this is in 1Samuel 7:2, when it leaves the Philistines being pulled by two cows and finally ends in Israelite territory. It is kept for twenty years in a house that belongs to Abinadab, and his son Eleazar is consecrated to care for the ark of the Lord. During this period, it was the rallying cry for the ten tribes of northern part of Israel. But as king of all Israel David wants to make his new city, Jerusalem, the seat of both political and of course religious power. The ark will provide that central worship symbol of unity for David’s reign; its presence will sanction his regime with God’s presence. Now, the ark itself was a sacred container, a chest in which the rested the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments as well as other sacred Israelite objects. Its upper surface or lid was called the mercy seat. On top of the mercy seat at the two ends were two cherubim, with their faces turned toward one another. Their outspread wings over the top of the Ark formed the throne of God, while the Ark itself was his footstool. On each of the two sides were two gold rings, through which were placed two wooden poles with a decorative sheathing of gold to allow the Ark to be carried. Well, David becomes moved by the Spirit, and by the triumphant return, eventually, of the ark to the entire people of God. And he really lets it all hang out. This was no King and Queen of England processional. David danced with all his might for God and before God. He was king because God had chosen him, and now he was bringing the very throne of God into the city that would forever be known by his name. In a lifetime of ups and downs, this could well be considered David’s highest of high points.

What is special about this man is that he had the ability to recognize the moment for what it was. He lived in the moment enough to realize that what was occurring here and now doesn’t often come around, if ever, in one person’s lifetime. We’ve got to open our eyes to the special moments in our lives. It’s right to celebrate highlights with extra enthusiasm. It is right to really worship God and give thanks that stirs the soul. And it is definitely all right to dance when the spirit moves you.

Not all days are created equal. So learn to enjoy. Learn to worship. Break free to respond honestly to what’s happening. As Nadine Stair, an 85-year-old patient of Bernie Siegel, wrote when facing death: If I had my life to live over ... I would take more chances, I would take more Trips, I would scale more mountains, I would swim more rivers, and I would Watch more sunsets. I would eat more Ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles And fewer imaginary ones. You see ... I was one of those people who lived Prophylactically and sensibly and sanely, Hour after hour and day after day .... I've been One of those people who never went anywhere without A thermometer, a hot water bottle, a gargle, a Raincoat and a parachute .... If I had it to do all over again, I'd travel lighter, much lighter, Than I have. I would start barefoot earlier In the spring, and I'd stay that way Later in the fall. And I would Ride more merry-go-rounds, and Catch more gold rings, and greet More people, and pick more flowers, And dance more often. If I had it To do all over again. But you see, I don't. (Peace, Love and Healing)  So dance and sing, and love and forgive, and enjoy and laugh, and be grateful and appreciate, and say the words and tell the stories. Remember the gifts and blessings of God, whose Spirit he breathed into our souls for life and whose son he gave for our souls to defeat death and whose kingdom he shares with his children for his glory’s sake. It is God who overcomes all things, our sins, our errors, our wrong choices, our hardheartedness, our selfishness, with grace and mercy, with power and strength, with hope and healing.   

You may remember the huge worldwide news that we woke up to on August 31, 1997. Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris. This past weekend a memorial service on the tenth anniversary of her death was held at the Guards’ Chapel near Buckingham Palace. Ten years ago the people’s princess died. Ten years have past. Can you believe it? Ten years! Where does the time go? This type of thing just stops me in my tracks. You and I are ten years older. My oldest son, Cameron was not even one and half years old then. Now he’s in middle school. Time just keeps going, and there is no way to stop it. I know we all say we are going to all die, but we also live the self-induced deception that maybe it won’t happen to me or it will be a long way off, or any number of fallacies. But time doesn’t stop. Think of it: not just another ten years will pass, but another 100. But we might as well not stop there. Another thousand years will pass and another million years and another billion years. And by then for sure none of us will be here…. Except one. Except the Lord our God, who is the true God, the living God, and an everlasting king (Jer.10:10), the one and only one who deserves worship. As Jesus said, “We shall worship the Lord our God, and him only shall we serve.” Matt.4:10 And yet, even though there is this vast, ever flowing span of time, God is present for us, each of us, calling forth life, nurturing love, forgiving sin, answering prayer. As scripture says, “The Lord your God is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.” God is present, an ever present help in times of trouble and the source of all our joy.

So let us worship the Lord our God. Let us dance some, at least in our hearts, when it is our time to dance. And perhaps if you don’t sing normally during the hymns, today would be a good day to try something different. Go ahead, try singing. Heck if real men like David dance, then real men must sing as well. Let us all, women and men, girls and boys, worship the Lord our God, giving thanks and making a joyful noise to the Lord, for surely the Lord is in this place.   

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