The Rev. Neale L. Miller

Sermon for July 16, 2006

Texts: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19/Ephesians 1:3-14

Title: “Lord of the Dance”

              It has been at least five years, and probably longer, since American audiences were introduced to “Riverdance.”  I can still remember my introduction to this Celtic dance phenomena.  Linda and I were visiting Sue and Bill Burge and Sue took out a tape of a Riverdance performance. To say the least, we were both extremely impressed.

              It is difficult to adequately describe the Riverdance choreography to someone who has not seen it.  Most remarkable is the synchronicity of the performance, the perfectly choreographed movement of the long line of dancers, arms and legs moving as if they belonged to a single body, a single body moving at high speed. The music to which they dance, a very up tempo series of Irish tunes featuring the violin, flute, fife and drum, lends dramatic force to the performance.

              While many of the numbers are performed by the entire dance troupe, the numbers featuring the troupe’s solo performers are highlights of the show. The name of one of those solo performers has become virtually synonymous with Riverdance.  In fact, so synonymous has Michael Flatley’s name become with that art form that he reigns as dance royalty, “Lord of the Dance.”     

              Flatley, has earned his crown as the public face and personality of Riverdance.  Grounded in the discipline upon which Celtic dance is based, Flatley’s athleticism and speed distinguish him from the other performers in the dance line. He also stands out, I would add, as a very handsome guy.

              The unbridled passion and enthusiasm Flatley brings to a performance is transfixing, the audience swept up in the mood his performance creates. 

              David, soon to be king David, was a Michael Flatley predecessor, wearing the “Lord of the Dance” crown way back there, long before the birth of Christ. More about that later.  

              David was a man whose life was marked by strong passions and enthusiasms.  He was but a shepherd boy---you know the story---when the Philistines made war with the Israelites under their champion, Goliath.  The Israelites trembled before the Philistines and the imposing Goliath.  Mocked by Goliath as cowards, no Israelite was willing to take the field to defend the honor of his people.

                David, the youngest of his father Jesse’s eight sons, presented himself before King Saul to offer his services, this despite the objections of his older brothers who wanted him to stay clear of the field of battle.  A mere boy, David’s passion to avenge his people was rewarded with a victory over the great Goliath.

                The passions of David were engaged in many ways, most notably on the field of battle.  David was a first and foremost a warrior and his people loved him for it.  Even before he wore the crown as Saul’s successor, the people sang of his heroics:  “Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands.”

                A man of strong passions and enthusiasms, David inspired strong passions and enthusiasms; Saul to kill him, Saul’s son, Jonathan, to love him as a brother.  A man of strong passions and enthusiasms, we are told that David was musically gifted with the harp, and gifted poetically with the written word.  If it is indeed true that David authored the psalms, the breadth of his passions, the highs and lows of his life, are powerfully expressed in those writings.    

               His undisciplined adulterous passion, of course, revealed David’s darker side.  Succumbing to Bathsheba’s allure, David made the very big mistake that marked his life, as a consequence suffering the death of his child by Bathsheba, and an indictment from God guaranteeing that his heirs would suffer conflict throughout their generations. 

                  David loved, fought, and ruled with passion.  It is important to remember that David inaugurated his reign during a time when the people over whom he would reign maintained a strong allegiance to their individual tribes.  These allegiances to tribe siphoned off any energy that might have been directed to consolidation and unity. It would fall to David to unify the tribes of Israel into one entity.

                    David was a savvy politician. He recognized that the tribes of Israel shared one profound source of unity.  They were united in their allegiance to the God of Abraham; a unity David believed could form the basis of a political unity as well. But how to accomplish that aim? 

                    The Ark of the Covenant was held in storage for over twenty years after the Israelites won it back from the Philistines, a fact that continues to puzzle students of the Bible owing to the religious significance attached to the ark.  The Ark, you will remember, housed the tablets of the law that God placed in Moses’ hands.

                  Capitalizing on the religious significance attached to the Ark by each of the tribes of Israel, David decided to transport the Ark from its storage place to Jerusalem, the city he had chosen to be the seat of the government he planned to establish.  As our lesson indicates, he did it with great fanfare, to say the least. 

                 The Lord of the Dance came into his own.  We are told that David really let loose, that “he danced before the Lord with all his might,” a linen ephod, an apron-like cloth his only covering.  What a scene it must have been.  Presbyterian worship this was definitely not.

                 Enthusiastic abandonment was the order of the day. In fact, such a day would not be seen in Jerusalem until the day when Solomon, David’s son, presided over the dedication of the temple that would be the Ark’s permanent quarters. 

                David accomplished what Saul could not.  He united the tribes, establishing Jerusalem to be what it is to this day, the center of her civil and religious life, and it all began with the Ark.

                The Ark was venerated as no other religious symbol of the Jews. The Israelites believed that God’s spirit was inseparably attached to the Ark, that holy space was created wherever the Ark happened to go. Thus, you understand, the consequences of David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem were far-reaching. The status that Jerusalem would achieve by David’s act would be unequaled among all the cities of Palestine.

                  David installed the Ark in Jerusalem with great fanfare.  Discarding inhibitions, he danced with all his might.

I wasn’t here when they laid the cornerstone of this church, but I doubt seriously that the event much resembled the ceremony over which David presided.  Customs change, and the traditions in which we Presbyterians were raised allow little room for the kind of display practiced by David and the ancients.

                   When we Presbyterians dedicate a worship space, a sermon, prayers of dedication, coffee, punch, and cake are typically the order of the day.  Yet while the customs surrounding various dedication ceremonies may differ from age to age, and tradition to tradition, the events are grounded in a common impulse and enthusiasm to acknowledge God’s presence with his people.

                  However consecrated, with dance and animal sacrifice, or with a ribbon cutting and cake and coffee, we people of God cherish the space in which we gather as unique and set apart from ordinary uses.  This is holy space. 

                  Made holy by the presence of the Ark, the Israelites entering the tent of meeting, later the temple built by Solomon, experienced the nearness of God in a very profound way. Over time a rich worship tradition, overseen by the Levitical priests, would develop in that holy space.

                   Our worship space does not boast the presence of an ark attended by a priestly cast, instead we gather under the cross, a holy symbol commemorating the death and resurrection of God’s only son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Like the Ark for the Israelites, the cross is our constant reminder of God’s abiding presence, a presence that has lent comfort and hope to those who have gathered in this space for nearly fifty years.

                   Unique to any public place in which we gather, this sanctuary embodies important and abiding memories.  Just two weeks ago our congregation awarded Bibles to our second graders, and some special gifts celebrating the graduation of our four high school graduates.  Celebratory occasions like that one occur regularly here. 

                  This sanctuary embodies important and abiding memories.  You, your children, your grandchildren, or perhaps even your great grandchildren, may well have been baptized here.  Some of you, your children, or close personal friends were married here.  We have gathered here to celebrate the resurrected life of those whom God has called home.  We have ordained and installed elders, deacons, and ministers of word and sacrament in this place.  We remember special worship services at Easter or Christmas, special musical offerings presented by Leonard, Lantz and the choir.

                 Consecrated as a place set apart for worship, this sanctuary contains memories marking very special events in the lives of virtually all of us. This is holy ground, made so because of God’s commitment to us in Christ Jesus, but also through the bond of affection and love we as a faith community have been privileged to form over many years. 

               Mind you, the God whom we worship took matters in hand in consecrating this space, and did so, I would add, without an appearance of the Lord of the Dance on the scene.

                Consecrated as a place for worship, this sacred space was defaced by the storm.  What our efforts have created here is a mere facsimile of what we had.  The wounds this place has suffered assault us every time we enter here. We are home, back worshiping, but are we really home.  Frustration is rampant, consternation arising on many fronts.  Some feel frustrated at the slow pace of our recovery efforts, others feel ill-formed.

              Our competence in establishing and following a plan for recovery has been tested and found wanting on more than one occasion.  Mistakes in planning and execution have been made, and there is nothing we can do to undo those mistakes.  A specially prepared bulletin insert, however, may address some of the concerns members of the congregation have raised. For those not addressed, I encourage you to speak to one of the pastors, a session member, or a member of our restoration committee. 

             We all acknowledge what we cannot ignore, this is not Lakeview Presbyterian Church, this is not Lakeview, as we knew it. The space is wounded and we are wounded.  Our wounds show up in frustration and anger.  Those feelings must be honored, but they must not be allowed to define us.

             We may have but of a facsimile of our worship space, a facsimile of the programs we once sponsored, but the God who calls us to worship has not changed.  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  Defaced, wounded this space might be, but God is still here.  Frustrated and angry we may be, God is no less present.  We face challenges but God still gives us things to sing, and even to dance about.

              May the true Lord of the Dance, the God who created and gives breath to all things living, restore our confidence in the future he has established for us, and restore our confidence in each other, even as we struggle to find our way.   

              PRAYER

              God, our Father, we come to thee once again in adoration and praise, grateful for yet another opportunity to worship in this familiar space among our friends and loved ones.   Present to you in body, may we be present to you in Spirit, prepared to receive that which you, who are the source of ultimate truth and goodness, are prepared to so generously dispense. Even as we experience the tug of issues left unresolved and agendas unfinished from the week now passed, we know that nothing is left unresolved or unfinished with thee.  In the confidence, O God, that your holy providence upholds us, past, present, and future teach us to live.

              O Lord, King David entered Jerusalem rejoicing.  He leapt and danced with no thought for appearances, to honor you his sole ambition.  May we, whose accustomed style of worship bears little resemblance to his, worship with his single-minded commitment, ours prayers and song a worthy offering to place at your feet.

             Lord, we fear from our world in these tumultuous times.  Even as we worship this morning innocent men, women, and children cower in fear under rocket and missile attacks in Israel and Lebanon. In your mercy help your children do, O God, what we are incapable of doing ourselves.  Help us to discover new ways to stop the violence that breeds death and destruction around our world. Equip the leaders of nations with the wisdom and fortitude to do what needs to be done in securing peace. Stifle the plans of those who plot destruction, and may judgment fall swiftly on those who in there disregard for human life murder and terrorize.

              O God, we continue to pray for our city in these difficult times.  Uncertainty reigns on many fronts, uncertainty that is draining the confidence of the citizens of our city.  Calls for leadership go unanswered, even as those in positions of leadership feel stifled. We thank you for those citizens of this city, homeowners, neighborhood association leaders, and business and religious leaders who have dedicated themselves to our city’s recovery, praying that disappointments and setbacks may not discourage them from continuing their efforts.

           Living God, we thank you for the faithful of this congregation whose love for you finds expression in the many ministries of our church.  We thank you for our elders, and those who maintain our youth programs.  We thank you for our choir, for Leonard and Lantz. We thank you for those who have given time and energy to our restoration efforts.  We thank you for those who volunteer in the nursery and second session, our liturgists, and those who prepare coffee fellowship. 

             Frustrated in our efforts to restore our buildings and our programs more promptly, many feel discouraged and let down.  We pray that the unity we have enjoyed as a congregation not be yet another casualty of the storm.

             O God, our Father, for this day and for each other we give you thanks, called into the body of Christ our Savior, may his will be disclosed through our works…  Hear our prayers, spoken and unspoken, for we pray in Jesus’ name….