The Divine Dance

Finally, John, one of the few boys over five feet tall, walks over to the other side and asks Jane if she would like to dance. Immediately the girls begin to whisper about the significance of this new relationship while the boys stare at Jane and wish they had the courage to ask such a beauty to dance. Slowly others venture out and two hours later the kids (they are still kids) leave for home sweaty and exhilarated. A great milestone in adolescence has been reached!

Dancing is a controversial activity for people of moral and religious conviction. For some, the very word denotes the sum of evil, with lascivious images of drug-infested clubs clouding their view. Others think of country square dances, with men and women 8 to 80 trying to keep time. The romantics see Viennese waltzes and the haute coiture crowd ponders the latest from the Bolshoi ballet.

A Parable

Whether dancing (excuse me--creative movement--no wait – choreography!) is prohibited, permitted or promoted in your community, everyone can appreciate the spontaneous joy of good news, a team victory or a great achievement. We need to jump, move our arms, hug someone and shout aloud! Little kids do these things without reserve, but we adults have learned to moderate our behavior. Even the most prim and proper among us can admire the skill of great dance movements.

This story of the school dance is a parable about relationships and risks. Will John risk Jane’s rejection and ask her to dance? Will the boys and girls leave the safety of their cliques by the walls and dance? Can the students overcome their natural inhibitions and have a good time?

God’s Invitation

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s invitation to join the eternal dance of the Trinity, to enjoy God’s effervescent Life of love, holiness and unity. Jesus is the Lord of the Dance, inviting everyone to learn the steps that lead to intimacy with God, integrity toward others and kingdom impact in the world.

These brief essays are glimpses of grace, windows into the wonder of God’s delight in us. The Infinite God longs for intimacy with us! To secure this, the Sovereign of the universe became the Servant of the unlovely. The Divine hand is extended to us – will we reach out and receive?

From Lifestyle to Life

A word I have come to despise is "lifestyle." My descent into such derision began with my exposure in the 1980’s to the conspicuous consumption of the "yuppies" and the emergence of an entire class of people who substitute trends for truth. The word "lifestyle" smacks of the superficial and the surreal. Lifestyle is an image to be assumed or discarded on a whim, like seasonal fashions for women or the flavor of the month in teenage musical tastes. Lifestyle is the acquisition of a set of behaviors outside of us. In contrast, authentic life arises from internal affections and convictions.

A genuine longing for authenticity and simplicity marks our new millennium. Such a goal is admirable on the surface, but the randomness of our sense of rightness and the contemporary smorgasbord of spiritualities makes even these aspirations a temporary trend.

Life in Christ is not merely the assumption of beliefs and behaviors. Life in Christ is not an addition to our present selves as we aspire to the latest ideology of personal fulfillment. Being a Christian is nothing less than experiencing the transforming Life of the Triune God. John 17:3 says it all: "This is life: to know you, the one true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." Earlier in John 10:10 the Good Shepherd says his purpose in coming to us is to grant abundant (effervescent, overflowing) life here and now. The Prologue of John’s Gospel is all about life: "In him was life--to all who received him--he gave the right to be called children--born of God." (1:1-14)

We are invited to know God’s own holy, joyful, pure and united Life! This is much more than charismatic ecstasy or religious observance. It is nothing less than death and resurrection on a daily basis. It is not our living for God, but Christ living in us (Galatians 2:20). It is not an individualistic and isolated existence; we have access to personal intimacy with our Lord and purposeful integration with the Body of Christ. We live with the dynamic reality of individual accountability before God (1 Corinthians 3) joined with the interdependence of each believer with one another (1 Corinthians 12)! Only a wise Head can hold all these truths together!

Perhaps we need to discard the notion of "The Christian Life" with all its baggage of duties, legalities and sacral activities. The power of the gospel does not lie in the absorption of deeper teaching, but in the affections of a transformed heart, which has received the revelation of Christ’s passionate, unending love for us. Servanthood cannot be taught, only caught as we see our Lord wrap himself in a towel and wash the feet of his friends--and betrayers (John13). Godliness arises from the security of grace. Discipline develops, as we understand God’s devotion to us. The question is not first our living for God, but God living his life in us!

Yes, this is mystical. Yes, this is quite spiritual language not easily comprehended by modern minds attuned to compact, cliché-ridden communication. Life in Christ is an exchange of "I" for "Thy", a continual conversion away from self-destruction and toward the Sovereign’s delight.

Will we join the Divine dance? Our God dances over us with joy (Zephaniah 3:17) and his angels throw a party in heaven when one sinner repents. Our Father gives a feast for returning prodigals and Our Bridegroom is already preparing our eternal dwelling. The Holy Spirit lives to give us fresh gleanings from the Word and glimpses of Christ in one another. The dance has no beginning. Father, Son and Spirit enjoy perpetual movement in mutual donation and there is room for us to join. The steps are new, but they are so much fun! Oh, by the way, the dress code is simple: a free robe of right standing given only to those who will shed all pretence and rebellion and humbly receive this seamless garment of grace.