Dancing the Divine
"In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."
Luke 15:10 (NLT)
Let's have a party!
Let's dance!
So the heavenlies are moving to the music of repentant souls. All throughout the Eastern Territory, Cadets' Campaigns are ministering with this very result. Last night in Pittsburgh, PA, Cadet Stephanie Childs gave her first public message and God did the rest. The response at the mercy seats and holiness table was wonderful and music to the ears of the heavenly hosts.
When I got back to the hotel room, I danced a bit myself. This type of activity has not always been on the "approved" list of salvationist activity. It's a new day and the only possible sin involved relates to my dance moves.
Of course the christian life is to be one of abunDANCE...feet don't fail me now...
Luke 15:10 (NLT)
Let's have a party!
Let's dance!
So the heavenlies are moving to the music of repentant souls. All throughout the Eastern Territory, Cadets' Campaigns are ministering with this very result. Last night in Pittsburgh, PA, Cadet Stephanie Childs gave her first public message and God did the rest. The response at the mercy seats and holiness table was wonderful and music to the ears of the heavenly hosts.
When I got back to the hotel room, I danced a bit myself. This type of activity has not always been on the "approved" list of salvationist activity. It's a new day and the only possible sin involved relates to my dance moves.
Of course the christian life is to be one of abunDANCE...feet don't fail me now...
posted by Jim Knaggs | 5:22 PM
3 Comments:
Praise the Lord!
My heart is doing it's own dance of joy since i've read your post. It's been a desire of my heart for many years now to 'unstigmatize' the concept of dance in the church [and within the CHURCH at large, the salvation army].
For too long, people have seen dance as a 'sex' thing, and not a "God" thing.....when, in reality, it is an ultimate expression of worship. It hasn't just been in recent history that dancing for the Lord has been rediculed.....King David danced naked in the streets of Jeruselem....his wife tried to chastize him for doing so-- calling his chosen expression of worship an activity unbecoming to a king....and guess what happened to her....she was struck barren. God delights in His children using their divinely created, made in the image of God bodies to praise him. There is a freedom in dancing for the Lord...it's not about how well you do it [so don't worry about your 'moves' buddy!] but WHO you are dancing for.
Same thing goes for sharing the gift of dance in corporate worship.....if a person is a gifted dancer, but dances to show off how well they've mastered a peice, then it's not worhsip....it actually borders on self-idolatry - and that's sin!
When we dance, we should do so in ways that draw people into the presence of God, so that the dancer is obscured by the Spirit of God descending in the place. A dancer dancing for the Glory of God, without even realizing it, is liberating others to dance unashamadly - whether it's physically, or simply freeing them to let their hearts soar unrestrained.
You make me think of a passage in The Message...
Matthew 11:28-30 (MsgB)
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. [29] Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. [30] Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Dance those unforced rhythms...
That, sir, is one of my all time favourite passages ever. :-)
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