Most of us probably think of weddings, proms, or the occasional living room dance party with our kids right before bedtime.
Some might say, “I do not dance.”
And unless you grew up in a particular denomination of church, almost none of us would answer, “We dance in church.” In fact, many traditional Christian communities in the South forbid dancing, among other things.
Yet in 2 Samuel 6, David danced before the ark of God. He danced so fervently that Michal, his watching wife, was embarrassed and rebuked him. Why did he dance? What did his dancing mean? As we explore the story more deeply, we will discover that David’s dancing is a window into the very heart of his relationship with God. So… where do you dance?
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(WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)
Title: Rise and Reign: “How Can the Ark of God Come to Me?” // Scripture: 2 Samuel 6:1 – 7:17
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
This fall, we have been journeying through a series called “Rise and Reign” following the lives of Samuel, Saul, and David through the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel. This week we joined in on the story where David is beginning to establish his reign. Seven years of civil war have passed since he has been named King of the South. In Chapter 5 of 2 Samuel, he has now united north and south to his reign. However, David’s journey to the throne though has been anything but commonplace. He has been an exalted warrior and a hunted criminal. He has both feasted at the king’s table and had to beg for bread. And now, as David begins his reign, he longs to demonstrate his heart for God to be at the center of it. He does so by bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. But this journey is filled with turmoil. One man (Uzzah) dies trying to steady the Ark when it almost falls. Michal (David’s wife) looks on David with disdain. And David breaks into an all-out dance. Through this passage we see how worship risks everyone’s reputation. Uzzah tries to manage God’s reputation and dies. Michal tries to manage David’s reputation and ends up barren. But David risks his reputation by responding to God as He is by living wide awake.
THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
When it comes to worship—don’t let reputation keep you from responding.
SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes
Picture (What is the story saying?): What stood out to you most from Jon’s sermon this week? Why? Who were the main characters in the story? (Uzzah, Michal, David) What part of this week’s story did you relate to most? How did each of the main characters respond to God in the story? (Uzzah—tried to manage God’s reputation, Michal—tried to manage David’s reputation, David— risked his reputation to respond to God) How did each person’s response affect their lives? (Uzzah—tried to manage God and died, Michal—tried to manage David and distanced herself from God and became barren, David—engaged God with anger, fear and dancing and ended up wide awake to God.)
Mirror (Where am I in the story?): How do we try to manage God’s reputation? How do we try to manage each other’s reputations? Who do you relate to most—Uzzah or Michal? Why? What would it look like for you to dance before God with your life? Who have you seen live their life in this way? What was the result of their life?
Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): Mark Buchanan says, “The safest thing we can do with a God like this is not to play it safe with him.” Do you agree with this quote? Why or why not? How do your think about danger in your life with God?
BE IT – Practice
At Grace each week we use the ideas of Worship, Word, and Wonder to guide our Sunday morning experiences. This week we want you to use these ideas to guide you in your community experience.
Change UP // Word 5 minutes
Jon quoted a dance scholar this week who said, “Dance is to ordinary movement as poetry is to everyday language.” Take some time to read poetry together by inviting a few people from your group to read out their favorite Psalms. Guide the group into discussion about what it would look like to dance to these Psalms with our lives.
Change IN // Worship 5 minutes
Take a few moments this week to engage your group in musical worship. Invite them to lift hands, open hands, kneel, or respond to God with both their words and their posture as they dance before the Lord with their worship.
Change OUT // Wonder 5 minutes
Invite each person in your group to identify one place in their life where they could risk their reputation for God. Ask them to write that place down on a piece of paper, and encourage them to keep that paper in their pocket this week as they dance before God with their lives.
CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.