"The Dance of Love"
Luke 2:1-20
Last fall the rage on television was Dancing With the Stars. Beginning in January
I bring this to your attention because of the announcement about it that is on the bulletin board. I have tried every way I could to not sign up for the class. I have two left feet. I have a stiff body. I have no rhythm. Whenever I put on a tuxedo it looks rumpled as soon as I begin to wear it. But the announcement is framed in such a way that I could not refuse.
Listen to the questions at the top of the announcement. Do you love watching Dancing With the Stars? That one is easy to answer No to. Have you always harbored a secret fantasy to glide around the dance floor like Fred and Ginger? Now that one got me to scratching my head. Who in the world are Fred and Ginger. If I had a fantasy it would not be about dancing. So it was easy to say No again. Are you ready to try something different for the New Year? Well of course not, I am Presbyterian. Why would I want to do anything different? But then there is one more question, Would you love to find a way to exercise and have fun at the same time? Now there is no way to say no to fun and exercise. So now that Jean and I are signed up I have six weeks to dream of being like Emmitt Smith but the truth is I will be more like Jerry Springer.
The truth of the matter is that there is a dance that makes any dance we do pale in comparison. It is the dance of the divine and the human coming together. And we celebrate that dance tonight. "I danced in the morning when the world was begun, And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun, And I came down from heaven and I danced on earth; At
I have had a concern about the Ballroom Dancing class. I don't want something that should be good and fun to be a source of contention for some. I can envision one spouse wanting to take the course and the other saying, "No way am I going to do that." The Christ child has been a source of contention for many. People have a choice. Do we want to live in Him and have Him live in us? Some will say Yes, others have said No Way. I don't want to be a dance partner with a God who allows people to suffer and die, especially children. I don't need a God like that. I will find another dance partner or I will forget dancing altogether.
And that might work for part of the year. But then Christmas comes around again and we are lonely and alone and we being again to experience that awe and wonder. And we hear the words to Silent Night and we begin to experience that peace that only comes from the child in the manger. And we know that we need for that child to live in us if we are to have any life at all.
One of the reasons I have not danced is that the first time I tried it, after I had worked up all the courage I could muster to ask the girl to dance, I stepped on her toes. And she let me know what a clod I was. It was humiliating. We step on the toes of God all of the time. But God never humiliates us. God does not make us feel like clods. When God asks us to dance the dance of life God says I love you and I forgive you and I want to live in you.
When God asked the young virgin, Mary, if she would dance with Him, at first Mary was afraid. But then she said Yes. She said you take the lead and I will humbly follow. And the savior of the world was born.
Not everyone is into ballroom dancing and that is okay. But don't miss out on the dance with God. "Dance, then, wherever you may be; I am the Lord of the Dance, said He, And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, And I'll lead you all in the dance, said He."
Dancing with God is rejoicing. It is worship at its finest. Tonight we dance with God like we have never danced before.