Dancing with Jesus

I never learned to dance. Dancing was forbidden in my fundamentalist Baptist church and family. Consequently, I shuffle around the dance floor at weddings and social events. Shortly after Christmas last December, I went to my first real dance. I knew no one there but became friends quickly. They helped me dance and it was a great evening. I was even awake at 1am. For those who know me well, that speaks volumes.

Recently, I tried Scottish Country Dancing. The rationale was that my Scots heritage would be in my DNA and help out. Susie, in the picture above (she's the one on the right, silly!), is an excellent dancer and my first teacher. She taught me the basic steps. Her left became my right and so forth. My usual struggle. However, when the music began, she said, "follow what I do, look in my eyes and feel how I move". Then follow. OMG! What an experience. I actually forgot my feet and I danced. Dancing is about the music, the flow, the rhythm. The technical steps follow over time.

This is also true with God. When I keep my eyes on Jesus, look to see him "face to face", I enter the movement, the flow of divine rhythm, I am swept up in the dance of divine love. Most of the time I'm busy counting how long I prayed, or how many people I prayed for as if it is some kind of righteous competition to prove that my faith is efficacious. That's all technical stuff that makes me feel good and holy, but it isn't dancing. Dancing is not all about me.

Dancing is an "us" and so is Christian faith. Christian faith is about community. It is about relationships with the Trinity and with others who relate to me in the divine wholeness of Trinity. I suppose it follows then, that my task is to look you in the eyes and invite you to dance with me. Then, we will both dance the world with Jesus.

Bob Anderson