In the church year, we are in the season after Pentecost. This season is often referred to as ordinary time. It is the season between Easter – the great celebration of our Lord’s resurrection, and Advent, the start of our new church year and the season of anticipation of the birth of Christ. Yes, there are a few High Holy Days and Major Feast Days scattered throughout ordinary time – but none as great as Easter and Christmas.

Today’s lectionary readings underscore the sense of this being ordinary time. On the one hand we have the OT reading in which David, the triumphant king, dances joyfully wearing very little, in public – much to the displeasure of his wife. Then, on the other hand, the Gospel reading tells the story of how a ruler’s pride prompts him to behead a holy man rather than go back on his word. He publically pledged to give a young girl anything she wished, and she asked for the head of John the Baptist. The king would not risk the embarrassment of going back on his word, so he ordered the execution of John the Baptist.

So today we are presented with a public figure with no shame, and a ruler doing what he knows to be wrong, simply to avoid embarrassment. Read the paper or watch the news and you will understand why we call this ordinary time. People in positions of responsibility are no less vulnerable than we are to making fools of themselves or doing wrong.

Now certainly one could argue that David had nothing to be ashamed of – he was praising God and celebrating God’s favor for his people. But, while here at St. Andrew’s we enjoy a good barbeque, I hope not to find members of the men’s group dancing about the barbeque grill wearing nothing but Speedo swimsuits.

I must admit that I would have preferred last Sunday’s text for my sermon; Jesus sending out the disciples in pairs to preach and heal. But as Christians who believe the bible to be Holy Scripture, we must wrestle with these difficult texts. We understand that the Bible reveals to us how God is present throughout history. The Old Testament stories provide us with an understanding of God’s covenant with the people of Israel . It illustrates how God worked in the lives of men and women to move them into a relationship with God . . . and each other.

The story we read today in the Old Testament was passed down from generation to generation by storytelling long before being written on tabloids and scrolls. The stories in the Old Testament helped the people of Israel understand their heritage; they were stories about their people and their God. So we must read them realizing that they say as much about the people’s understanding of God at that point in history as they reveal about God.

In the time of David, the Ark symbolized God’s covenant with the people of Israel . It was built to God’s specifications and contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Ark was carried by the priests as the people entered into the Promised Land. Then, once settled, in the Promised Land, the people of Israel wanted a king to lead the military and protect them from their enemies. After the death of Saul, David had to establish himself militarily before all of Israel would recognize him as their king. David proved himself and was made king. Since he was from the tribe of Judah ; he made Jerusalem his Capital city. That is the story in today’s Gospel reading. David is bringing the Ark into the city of Jerusalem ; it was indeed a memorable event. It meant, the kingdom of Israel was united behind David as their king with Yahweh as their God. It was certainly cause for celebration and David celebrated with the people – he was not ashamed of his faith, nor shy about letting others know how he felt about God. He danced and he celebrated God’s presence in his life – for he believed that God had protected him in conflict and made him King.

The New Testament story of the beheading of John the Baptist is more unsettling for many of us. In it, we can see that life during the time of Christ was as violent as in the Old Testaments days. News today from the Middle East and Africa are reminiscent of those times, but few Americans can relate to the thought that a King would order a beheading simply to satisfy a promise made at a party. John’s beheading contained in Mark, puts into prospective the transforming message of Jesus Christ.

To a people desperate to return to power, desperate for another military king like David, Jesus spoke of turning the other cheek and caring for the less fortunate. Some texts, such as this gospel reading, remind us that the message of peace that Jesus proclaimed was not what the people expected from their messiah. It reminds us when we read any selected portion of the bible, to consider the larger text, the larger message contained in the Gospel. It reminds us that we cannot forget that the books of the bible were written by people in a particular point in history.

Framed by these two readings today, is our lesson from Ephesians. Paul uses the metaphor of adoption to help us understand God’s grace. Children are born into many different circumstances and sometimes need more than their birth parents can provide. Children who are adopted are given a gift that other children can only receive from God – the gift of being chosen by their parents. Do you remember standing on a playground waiting for someone to choose you to be on THEIR team? Were you afraid you might not be chosen? Paul uses the metaphor of being adopted to represent that feeling of reassurance we have when we are chosen. God not only wanted you – God chose you!

When this epistle was written, adoption was about property. A son was the property of his father and could be sold, or even killed, by his father without consequence. Once adopted, a son lost all legal claims to his birth father’s estate – but became a new person in the eyes of Roman law. So much so, that even the person’s debts were no longer binding once he was adopted. It was as if the son was born again into a new family. Paul’s letter is saying the same about us. We are transformed into a new person when we are adopted by God – because God has chosen us!

But wait – that’s not all. Like the infomercials on TV, Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say that we are all chosen by God – Jews and Gentiles. It matters not our station in life, God’s grace is there for all of us. All of this, he points out is because of Christ who lived and died for us, who redeemed us and freed us from all our debts – as happens with adoption. Jesus transforms us into a new person, a person of God. Through Christ, then, we are heirs to God’s kingdom, to eternal life.