2nd Samuel 6:1-5, 12-19; Mark 6: 14-29; and, Ephesians 1:9

Pleasing the Right People

            Today our world is filled with things that call for our attention. There are commercials on TV telling us what cars to buy, what places to visit and what things to watch. There are things telling us the clothes to wear and there are things that tell us who to listen to, who to vote for, who to trust. Luckily most of us are able to filter out the magazines, the commercials and the radio spots. But there are certain things that are harder to filter out, the opinions and desires of those around us.

            The people around us expect certain things. I am expected to be a good intern, a good student, a good son, all by different groups of people around me. For others there are expectations to be a good employee, a good parent, a good citizen, and every one has a different opinion on what makes someone good. For some being a good citizen means standing up against things that they see as wrong within the government, for others it means trusting in our elected officials and supporting their decisions.

            Lately there has been a lot of talk going on about what it means to be a good Presbyterian. In the wake of the General Assembly there are discussions among some in the church about whether or not support the acceptance of the Peace, Unity and Purity commission, and some of those opinions matter more than others. Many of our churches are looking to the larger congregations for guidance and the denomination again waits to see whether or not we will be able to move forward with God's work in the world.

            I always find myself wishing that we did not have to please others and that we could just go about the business of trying to please God, but sadly the politics of the world have infected everything including our ministry. I suppose that is why I take hope in the two passages that have been read today.

            Now I know what many of you are thinking; "how does this kid find hope in the beheading of John the Baptist, and what does an obscure story of David dancing have to do with the story of Herod and John the Baptist?" I want to tell you that there is hope here because these to stories do have something in common, and it is not just that both contain dancing, though the dancing does have a lot to do with it.

            Both passages contain kings of Israel, though I have to admit that is about the only thing the central figures have in common. David was a king chosen by God and Herod was a puppet of the Romans. David was anointed by a prophet; Herod was annoyed by one. David danced for God, Herodias danced for Herod. David's dance ended up blessing the people; the dance for Herod ended with a holy man dead. There are many differences here.

            Yet there is a similarity. Both of these kings were trying to please others. David was trying to please God, and Herod was trying to please his daughter and his wife, as well as entertain those around him. Already we can see that Herod seems to have the more complex group of people to please. Making one person happy is tough, making a crowd happy can be almost impossible.

            Let's start with Herod. He is throwing a lavish party trying to impress all of his courtiers on his birthday when his daughter comes out and dances for all of them and Herod is so impressed that he offers her whatever she asks. Well, not knowing what to ask for she goes to her mother who tells her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. Since Herod did not want to disappoint her he tells his guards to go down to the dungeon (since John was already conveniently arrested) and the deed is done.

            Yet no one seems very pleased by the outcome of the party. We aren't told what the people at the party think, but I can't imagine seeing a head brought in on a platter as a great way to end an evening. We are told about the party because Herod has heard about Jesus and believes that he is John the Baptist come back from the dead. It seems as though Herod may be feeling guilty about what he has done, we are even told that before he has John killed he is deeply grieved but that he felt an obligation to "his oath and to his guests." Herod tried to please the crowd and wound up hurting himself and killing an innocent man.

            David on the other hand has brought the ark back to the holy city of Jerusalem. The celebration affects the entire city and there are hundreds of people there to see their new king return the holy relic. The king is full of energy and he is dancing and leaping before the ark, praising God and reveling with the people. Those that were in the city that day were blessed because their leader was acting only to please God. They were given food and sent home to their families to celebrate and they were happy. Yet David had not been acting to win the crowd over, he was doing what he knew was right and it looks like it is all going to wind up being a glorious moment, but then one verse stands out: "As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart."

            It seems that all is not well in the holy city. Someone is not happy with the things that David is doing. Michal has a right to be upset, after all David did take her father's place in order to become king. She is probably not angry at the fact that David is acting in a way that may seem inappropriate for a king, no she is probably angered by the people adoring him much like they did her father. David could have been doing anything, and she probably would have disagreed and been angered by whatever he had done.

            There are many people like Michal who we will meet in this world. There are people who will look at the things we do as individuals, as a nation, or as a church and disagree with them even when we feel that we are doing what is pleasing to God. There are people who will take personal dislike at us for some reason and use that to make judgments on the things that we do. There are people who disagree with a church because they don't like their pastor, or who don't like Christianity because they see people who profess to be Christians behaving in unchristian ways.

            Then there are people who will disagree with us because they feel that they are doing what is pleasing to God. Right now we can see that illustrated within our own denomination with different sides believing that they are doing what God wants them to do. It is difficult to know who is right and who is wrong and thank God that there is a verse like the one from Ephesians which I will read again "and he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ."

            God sent Christ to us so that we can know his will. We are to act in the way that God speaks to us, and God shows us when we are doing things that are pleasing to him. It may be that you are unsure of a decision and after you have made it things just fall into place, or you meet a stranger who brightens your day.

            God also lets us know when we have done something that is not pleasing. Like Herod we may be wracked with feelings of guilt over the decision that we have made. We may become so tangled up in pleasing others that no decision we make feels right. In those moments it is critical to untangle ourselves and listen for God so that we may get back to doing what is pleasing.

            And what is pleasing to God is a mystery. As Ephesians says it is the "mystery of his will" that he makes known to us. That is why we must try to please God, and at the same time respect the others that feel they are doing the same thing. We may not agree with those on the right, or with those on the left, but we have to realize that they are following their hearts and trying to please God as best as they understand it. We do not have to share their viewpoints, but we have to listen so that we can all better discern what the will of God is. That way we can all go about dancing and pleasing God as he blesses our world. AMEN