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| Ragne Kabanova | Dreamstime.com |
What did the morning worship service at
Radiant Church in
Surprise, AZ and my lunchtime spumoni ice cream stack at
Cowboy Ciao in
Scottsdale have in common? They were both over the top.
The pastor filling the pulpit last week galloped up the
church aisle on a horse. This week a different pastor rappelled from the
ceiling down a rope into the pulpit. This shenanigan illustrated the sermon
series, The Journey. I loved it!
My spumoni was dressed up like a Vegas showgirl. All the
good stuff you’d expect to be packed inside this Italian delicacy—pistachios,
chocolate, cherries and marshmallows—piled like bling on top of the ice cream. I
ate it up (with some help).
Such drama is not to everyone’s taste. Poorly
executed, theatrics can overwhelm the message and dull the palate for what
truly nourishes us. In the hands of talented people who respect the elements
they are working with, the results can bless our spirits.
When the Ark of the Lord entered Jerusalem King David did
not give a speech, he leaped and danced before the Lord. His wife Michel looked
down from her window and was filled with contempt. To be sure Michel was not
predisposed to appreciate her husband’s antics. She had been returned to her
marriage by force. Still, God saw fit to
judge a heart barren of any appreciation with a barren womb.
I can’t wait to see what will happen in the pulpit next week.
It involves a rock.
2 Samuel 6:16
