In many ways my father was a conventional Episcopalian, a believer in Jesus Christ. But he also worshipped another secret deity— respectability. Colonial house, beautiful wife, obedient kids, my father enjoyed having these things, but what he really cherished was his friends and neighbors knowing he had them. He liked being admired. - Phil Knight, Shoe Dog.
This past Sunday, we began a new series called Barriers, where we will consider different obstacles to a deeper and more vibrant life with God.
We began the series in 2 Sam 6 with King David and the Ark of the Covenant, where we saw that what we need most is "covenant fellowship with a beyond-description-God."Yet, often an obstacle to experiencing and knowing this God, is respectability (barrier #1)and the challenges offered by "window-characters" who place on us what appear to be rational expectations of who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to do.
We ultimately saw that what we need most, covenant-fellowship with a beyond-description-God, is made possible by a Priest-King, who possesses incomparable authority and offers to us incomparable access to the Father.
