King David dances before the Ark of the Covenant as it is brought into Jerusalem. As David dances, the reader can picture the story with joy and excitement, but Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s wife, despises David’s openness to God before the people. After dancing, David offers burnt offerings to God and then distributes food to all of Israel. David’s care for all people is reminiscent of the lavishness of God’s grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone who has moved to a new community will likely have felt like an outsider. An established community has shared stories, experiences, lingo, friends, and more. Even if welcomed, a new person can feel like an outsider, like an intruder. Much of the non-churchgoing population, the “nones” (people who are religiously unaffiliated with any faith tradition) and the \u201cdones\u201d (people who used to participate in a faith tradition but no longer do), view congregations this way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Communities say they are open for newcomers, and even want newcomers, but often do not welcome them as they are. This week\u2019s scripture helps us explore the ways by which we embody God\u2019s grace of welcome for all people.\u00a0Will our response be to shrink in the revelation of who we are, or will it be a dance and song of joyful abandon?<\/p>\n\n\n\n