The Joy of Worship

This morning’s Scripture is the story of David going to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Jerusalem had become a political and economic center in the time of King David, and now King David wants it to be a religious center as well. So, he sought out the ark of the covenant – that ark that had carried the tablets God gave to Moses, manna, and Aaron’s rod that had budded, the ark that had traveled with them as nomadic people everywhere they went, a physical symbol of God’s presence with God’s people.

When God’s people settled down in the promised land, the ark was kept in the Tent of Meeting in the sanctuary at Shiloh. But, it had been carried into battle by the Israelites and was captured by the Philistines, and the physical ailments that were suffered by the Philistines were so bad that they returned the ark. And, it wound up in the house of Abinadab. It had been there about 20 years when King David and his men arrived with a new cart with two oxen to pull it, to claim the ark, load it up, and take it with them to Jerusalem.

David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord with all their might, singing, playing lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. It was a loud procession.
Then the lectionary reading skips the next part. It’s not easy to hear what happens next. But, I think it is important. Here’s the rest of the story: In the middle of the procession, with the dancing and the singing and the strumming and the drumming, one of the oxen stumbles a bit and the guy who is driving the cart, Uzzah, reaches out to steady the ark of the covenant.

Now, before I tell you what happens to Uzzah, first we need to know that God had given very clear instructions about how to show proper reverence for the Ark. God instructed Moses that the ark was to be carried by Levites, borne by poles lifted up on their shoulders, and when they were carrying the Ark, said God, “they must not touch the holy things, lest they die.” We do not know whether Uzzah was a Levite, but we do know that the ark was being taken back to Jerusalem on a cart rather than being borne on Levites’ shoulders by poles. Uzzah is driving the ark on a cart pulled by oxen. We also know that Uzzah is one of Abinadab’s sons. So, he has grown up with this ark around the house. He is comfortable around it. So, when it tips a little, he forgets God’s warning not to touch the ark. And Uzzah puts forth his hand, and he dies.

David is terrified and changes his mind completely about bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Instead he drops it off at one of the gatekeepers to Jerusalem’s house, who is a Levite and knows how to handle the ark. For three months, the ark is at Obed-Edom’s house, and he and all his household are blessed. So, then David decides to bring the ark to Jerusalem after all.

This is where our lectionary passage picks back up. This time, the ark is borne properly. And David, dances before the Lord with all his might in an ephod…which is a little linen apron…and nothing else. His wife, Michal, King Saul’s daughter, sees him and is humiliated. This is not the way royalty behave. Royalty don’t parade around in undergarments.

But King David doesn’t care…because when he remembered reverence for God…when he gave up what was easy – a new cart – for what was instructed – to be borne on the shoulders of Levites…when he gave up what was impressive – a procession of songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbal – for what was focused on God – sacrificing an ox and a fattling every six paces and shouting with the sound of the horn – he remembered reverence for God and he forgot himself.

This is the joy of worship. True worship happens when we are reverent, when we remember who God is, and we are so overcome that we forget ourselves. We are so overcome, we don’t notice the crowd as we dance in our undergarments – stripped of all that we had put on – robes and status – that separated us from God.

This passage has been used to advocate for dancing in worship – and there’s nothing wrong with that – for advocating moving around more in worship, coming forward to receive Communion and to give the offering – and there’s nothing wrong with that – to advocate for raising hands while singing – and there’s nothing wrong with that…but I don’t think that what God is saying to us in this passage is that we should dance in worship or move around more or raise our hands.

What this passage says to us is that none of those movements are wrong if they are offered in true worship. And all of them are spiritually deadly to us if they are not.

The part of the story that the lectionary leaves out is important. Just like David, we have a tendency to focus on ourselves and what people think of us. The cart drawn by oxen was shiny and new, the procession in front of it loud and impressive. But, it wasn’t the way God had instructed. And just like Uzzah, we have a tendency to get comfortable. This Sanctuary is holy space. God is present here. We come into this space with reverence and awe.

Here, we worship God. God, whose ways we cannot comprehend, who is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, who is just and merciful. We come to worship with delight and celebration and reverence and forget our self-conscious, self-centered focus.

When was the last time you were in a crowd and you didn’t care what anybody thought about what you were doing? Maybe at a concert, or a ballgame, or in worship? As David entered Jerusalem, he didn’t care what people thought of him. He didn’t care how his voice sounded or how he was expected, as King, to process through the streets. He danced and he sang and instead of a robe, he wore the ephod like the priests. He was more concerned about being a servant in God’s kingdom than about having his own kingdom with his own subjects.

How about you? When was the last time you sang at the top of your lungs worshiping God? When was the last time you let yourself move a little in worship? When was the last time you laughed out loud with joy or cried your heart out to God? Or sat in silence and stillness, knowing that God is God, and you are not? When was the last time you expressed your faith and didn’t care what other people thought? When was the last time you were more concerned about being a servant in God’s Kingdom than what other people thought of you? This is the joy of worship. Maybe it’s time for us to dance like David did.