I Hope You Dance

Sunday morning retuning:  You heard a stirring story of a family that is working heard to put faith in action as they learn to love the world around them.  What’s the next step for you?  Will you take it?  You probably have some sense of how God is leading and if not, stay with us the next four weeks through our Externally-Focused Church series.  I bet you will know by then.

This past weekend I had the great joy of celebrating the marriage of one of my nephews to his lovely new bride.  It was a beautiful ceremony, followed by a joy-filled reception where the love of and for this couple was fully one display.  I was truly honored to be a guest at this celebration!

I really enjoyed the food and festivities of the reception, including the dancing.  At one point, when I sat down to take a break, my mother-in-law said to me, “I am seeing a side of you I never have.”  That caught me off guard, since she has know me over twenty years, and has seen me in a number of different settings, leading worship and special services, and living ordinary life.

I had to ask myself what was it that she saw that she hadn’t before and why hadn’t she.  My immediate response was she has seen me in front of the church, not in the crowd celebrating.  But it also occurred to me that life does not provide many opportunities to dance, either literally or figuratively.  Keep that in mind while I share another theme on my heart these days.

We are just finishing up the production of our newest recording project titled “Declare His Praises”.  Based on I Peter 2:9b the intent was to create a project that would encourage and aid our church to speak God’s worth in a strong and confident way.  By His grace, I think we have done that.  You can listen to a sample here.  [If you were a member of our about Facebook group you would have already gotten a notification about this, just saying.]

This idea of being strong and confident as we declare God’s praise intertwined for me this weekend with this idea of dancing.  That is, not holding back, sitting on the side of the dance floor but getting in the game.  Generally speaking, I want to dance, to live with faith and vigor.  Frankly, I want this for you too. When given the choice to sit out or dance, I Hope You Dance.

There is another wedding feast that I am looking forward to.  It will be a celebration like none ever before.  It is the one that will follow the marriage of Jesus Christ and His Bride the Church.  Every time we gather to worship we are declaring this truth and foreshadowing its fulfillment.  But I wonder how well we do?  Here is another song which provides that encouragement to dance, but this one makes me want to actually do it!  The invitation is there for any who will receive it to get onto God’s Great Dance Floor.  

Jesus, thank You for inviting us to live boldly, and to declare Your praises likewise.  Give us the courage we need to do this every day, as a natural expression of the way You have created and are re-creating each of us.  Help us dance, always and only for Your glory.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy