I will celebrate in the presence of the LORD!

 

Thursday, July 27, 2023


Psalm 68:1-20

2 Samuel 6

John 7:32-53


Observance: Brooke Foss Westcott, bishop and teacher (d. 1901); John Comper, priest (d. 1903)


I will celebrate in the presence of the LORD!


Anglicanism sits in the “middle way”, the via media. But in between what and where is this middle way? On a surface level, we might look at the different ways Anglican churches worship on a Sunday. Go into one, and you will hear sacred music from the Renaissance, smell the incense, and see a sanctuary filled with men wearing brightly coloured robes. Walk into another Anglican church down the road and you will hear a drum kit, smell the coffee machine in the lobby, and see a short stage filled with people wearing jeans. Both of them are Anglican; both will be worshipping the true and living God. And they are reflecting two appropriate attitudes towards God that we read about today in 2 Samuel.


Uzzah was one of two men responsible for transporting the Ark of the Covenant. There were strict rules on who was allowed to touch the Ark, and Uzzah was not one of them. He saw it wobble, and reached out to steady it. But God is holy and is to be revered, and steadying the Ark is not showing reverence, and so he died on the spot. This is one attitude we are to have towards God: reverence. It is the slow procession at the start of the liturgy; it is the kneeling at the altar rail; it is the silence during the worship service in order to hear God speak for Himself.


Michal, David’s wife from Saul’s family, was the old church curmudgeon grumbling about that church down the road with their espresso coffee, jeans, and drum kits. Don’t they know they are embarrassing themselves by exposing their emotions during their worship service! But this is the other aspect of our attitude towards God. Joy is one of the great and precious gifts of the Holy Spirit, and sometimes joy is expressed with enthusiasm. Perhaps it is to be like King David, and to dance and spin around with abandon before the Lord.


David still had reverence for the Lord; it took serious convincing for him to move the Ark from where he left it for three months after Uzzah died. But he also celebrated joyfully in God’s presence. To try and be both reverent and joyful is not a delicate balancing act we should be stressed about. It is a depth of relationship with God which each of us can dive into.

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