Our Dancing God

It’s week two of a five week sermon series on worship. This series isn’t a “how to” for worship or which style of worship is the “right” one. It’s a reflection on the “senses” of worship, and for that topic I’m grateful to Don Saliers and his book Worship Come to Its Senses. 

     Last week we focused on awe; this week we will focus on delight. So think with me: what does delight mean to you? What experiences in your life have been “delightful”? A thought immediately comes to my mind that this is not the “delightful” that Professor Henry Higgins declared as he contemplated Eliza Doolittle’s demise. That’s the sort of delight some in my congregation might take when their Clemson Tigers defeat my N.C. Tar Heels – or when either of us defeat the S.C. “Chickens.” That sort of either innocent or fiendish delight in our own vindication is all too human, not divine.

     When I asked our faithful Bible seekers on Wednesday evening, they characterized delight as an emotion stronger than happiness that contains a degree of exuberance. It would likely have a sense of surprise, of experiencing the unexpected. It would bring pleasure and joy.

     In that light, I certainly hope worship is “delightful.” There should be an inherent sense of joy in every act of worship, for we worship a God of joy and grace and delight. The question remains: how can authentic worship faithfully enable the experience of delight? It certainly cannot be manufactured. Many years ago, I heard a sermon from a guest preacher that was 20 minutes of back to back jokes. For me, it got old quickly, and though some seemed to enjoy it, most found it pompous and inauthentic. Yet do you too often experience worship as too serious, too somber, and too respectful to be delightful? 

     I’ll be using two parables this Sunday as we explore delight. One is the story contained in the feature length film entitled Babette’s Feast. I hope you know it. It’s a gorgeous visual parable of grace. The other is the Parable of the Great Dinner as told by Jesus in Luke chapter 14. At the center of both parables is a guest who behaves in an unexpected manner. As each guest becomes the host, we catch a glimpse of the invitation to delight – the delight that is God’s gift - if we are daring enough to receive it.