READ 2 Samuel 6; Luke 18; Rev 15:2-4
 |
| DANCING ON THE DANGEROUS WAVE |
And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire,and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name,standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God,and the song of the Lamb: “Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the nations! Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
1. David had caught the wave of the kingdom of God. It had been coming toward him for years. But now the perfect wave arrived as he celebrated and rejoiced with the kingdom coming together around him in Jerusalem. He brought the Ark of the Covenant into his city. What was this ark? What was in the ark? What did it symbolize in the history of Israel?
 |
| MODEL of the Ark of the Covenant |
2. David danced before the ark. Was it appropriate to dance before God? How did Michal respond?
3. David discovered that the ark could not easily be managed. Poor Uzzah. What was his mistake? What sort of warning did his death imply for David. Eugene Peterson suggested that Uzzah’s death was a warning sign for David. “Beware The God”. Have you ever thought about the ways we trivialize the holy God, domesticate, and seek to manage God? In what ways does religion seek to control God?
4. Consider the Annie Dillard quote in the sermon. She suggested that the ushers in churches ought to hand out crash helmets, life vests, and signal flares, and then lash people in their pews. We are playing with TNT and it could kill a Sunday morning. What if the Holy One awakened and was offended? What if the awakened One led us to a place we had not expected? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. What does this mean?
5. Is Jesus safe? He’s not safe, the little girl in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe learned, but he is good. Read Luke 18 and ask yourself how the rich ruler was dancing on the dangerous wave of his religion. How can the Lord be both un-safe and good?
