Dancing with God

Rev. Matt Rawle

One of the blessings of being a father of toddlers is the beauty of uninhibited dancing. When the drums start beating, my daughter Annaleigh picks up the rhythm and shakes, well, whatever her little two-year-old body will allow. It seems to come naturally for her, and for most toddlers. There’s something about music which captures us deep within our souls, causing our heads to sway and feet to tap, and if the music’s really good, I might just close my eyes, jut out my jaw, and bite my bottom lip in an awkward, seemingly painful expression.
Have you ever watched a sermon in fast forward? For those who meander about the pulpit, it looks like the preacher is a dance instructor, leading the congregation is a Gospel dance. Isn’t this true when we gather for worship? The Trinity—The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, has been described as “The Lover, The Beloved, and the Love that they share” (Saint Augustine). Worship is the gathered body of Christ offering adoration to the Father and the Father offering blessing to the body of Christ. So, in a way, Worship is an outward and visible sign of The Trinity, the way in which God “dances” with The Son in shared spiritual adoration.
Scott McKnight writes, “I do marvel at how well come people can dance. Their entire bodies seem to be overwhelmed by the music and the beat and the meaning of the words. Somehow the body moves in such a way that the music begins to take on bodily form. We might say that the dance incarnates the music, just as the Son incarnates the dance of the Trinity” (27). As you continue your Lenten journey toward the cross, open yourself up to the holy dance shared in adoration between God and God’s people. At least, it’s something I’ve learned from my two-year-old, and didn’t Jesus say something about entering the kingdom as a child? I wonder if this is what he meant. Blessings and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.