Getting over ourselves (July, 2006)

Jay reels in the utopianists on both sides of the pulpit, with a little dose of reality: God loves us, glaring warts and all.

I appreciate Jay's pointing out the trickiness of people's perceptions: the same service's style being too old-fashioned and too trendy; the same sermon both "lacking theological depth" and over our heads.

Our perceptions are so subjective, so elusive. Yet we trust them so much. Not that I'm advocating that we become rationalists: as important as logic is, there's far more to life than what we can deduce (not to mention eternity).

Where does that leave us? In need of just the skewering Jay compassionately gives us:

I would like to suggest that all of us--cranky church members and cranky pastors alike--need to get over ourselves.

His benediction:

I am, rather, suggesting that you give each other a break, laugh along with God, and love each other fiercely--as you are fiercely loved and lovingly endured by God!

Amen. Someone said that we don't have to take ourselves too seriously because God takes us very seriously.

May God's forbearance toward us be our example.

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Michal, "the patron saint of cranky church members:"

12 Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.

17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings [a] before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

21 David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

2 Samuel 6:12-23

I heard a recent worship song use the phrase, "I will become even more undignified than this." Now I know where that came from.

May David's humility rub off on me.