Year A
Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Canticle 13 (BCP)
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1963\u2026 Sydney Carter wrote the lyrics to the Lord of the Dance\u2026 he was at least partly inspired by Jesus when he wrote\u2026 “I don’t know whether Jesus ever leaped in Galilee\u2026 to the rhythm of a pipe or drum\u2026 but we’re told that David danced\u2026 and as an act of worship too\u2026 the fact that many Christians have regarded dancing as a bit ungodly\u2026 in a church, at any rate\u2026 doesn’t mean that Jesus regarded it that way.” And Carter also offered a tribute to Shaker music\u2026 he used the tune from It’s a Gift to be Simple\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Carter was also inspired by a statue of the Hindu God Shiva which sat on his desk\u2026 posing as the Lord of the Dance\u2026 he later said: “I didn’t think the churches would like the hymn at all\u2026 I thought many people would find it pretty far flown\u2026 probably heretical\u2026 and anyway\u2026 dubiously Christian\u2026 but in fact people did sing it\u2026 and unknown to me\u2026 it touched a chord… anyway\u2026 it’s the sort of Christianity I believe in\u2026”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n On Trinity Sunday\u2026 some Christian theologians\u2026 talk about the perichoresis<\/em> of the Holy Trinity\u2026 I won’t try to explain the eternal mystery of the Three in One\u2026 and thank goodness we’re not reading the Athanasian Creed\u2026 which can be found on pp. 864-865 of the BCP\u2026 and was in the Lutheran Book of Worship\u2026 but is not in the current prayer book\u2026 the ELW\u2026 but the Greek word perichoresis<\/em> simply means rotation<\/em>\u2026 and so the word evokes images of dancers spinning and twirling around each other on the dance floor\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we think about dancing\u2026 some of us may think of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to Cole Porter’s Night and Day\u2026 we may think of perfectly choreographed tango or salsa movements as part of a competition\u2026 but how many times have you heard someone say: Oh\u2026 I can’t dance<\/em>\u2026 and what if someone trips\u2026 or falls\u2026 which you can see on Dancing with the Stars fails\u2026 on YouTube\u2026 but usually\u2026 mostly\u2026 when they say\u2026 I can’t dance<\/em>\u2026 they’re just expressing doubt\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came\u2026 and said to them anyway\u2026 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Go therefore<\/em>\u2026 Jesus didn’t conduct auditions\u2026 didn’t invite in only the top four finalists\u2026 didn’t ask to see a diagram of feet on paper\u2026 like in the Rocky Horror Picture Show\u2026 even to the doubters\u2026 even to those who didn’t think they could dance\u2026 he said Go\u2026 baptize in the name of the Father\u2026 the Son\u2026 and the Holy Spirit\u2026 and teach them\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe those who doubted\u2026 didn’t think they could hear the divine music\u2026 but even those who can’t hear any music can still dance\u2026 deaf students at Gallaudet University\u2026 can dance by feeling the vibrations on the floor\u2026 but even when they’re dancing on something like concrete that doesn’t vibrate\u2026 they look to each other for visual and other cues\u2026 they teach each other\u2026 and can remain in the kind of sync\u2026 that Fred and Ginger had\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes\u2026 we doubt too\u2026 that we won’t be able to hear\u2026 or feel the music\u2026 we may wonder if it even exists\u2026 but there are more dances than we can imagine that move to a more transcendent melody\u2026 and some of them even involve dancing\u2026 there are avian mating dances\u2026 like what the Bird of Paradise does\u2026 in relationships\u2026 maybe through counseling\u2026 when one person starts to get healthier\u2026 they say their partner needs to learn new dance steps\u2026 there’s the melody of gravity and momentum\u2026 of moons dancing around planets\u2026 planets dancing around the sun\u2026 and stars and galaxies dancing around each other\u2026 in some ways\u2026 Two Churches and Holy Trinty\u2026 even after about twenty months\u2026 remain in a new kind of dance\u2026 some are well choreographed\u2026 like this month’s White Caps game\u2026 and while we may… possibly\u2026 occasionally step on each other’s feet\u2026 no one gets disqualified\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n If\u2026 since\u2026 because we are created in the image of God\u2026 then that also means that we were created to create\u2026 and just as the first person was the Adam\u2026 the earth creature\u2026 we too toil over our own figurative lumps of clay\u2026 creating new things\u2026 new ideas\u2026 new ways of healing\u2026 and new ways of being\u2026 and each new genesis echoes the dance of the Trinity\u2026 Father\u2026 Son\u2026 and Holy Spirit\u2026 ] Creator\u2026 Redeemer\u2026 and Sustainer… and with Sydney Carter’s statue of Shiva in mind\u2026 rishi<\/em>\u2026 devata<\/em>\u2026 and chandas<\/em>\u2026 the knower\u2026 the known\u2026 and the knowing which connects them in an ever expanding communion of love\u2026 ] and the coming of the Spirit\u2026 is like love hitting the cosmic fan\u2026 it’s God’s unrestrained and riotous giving that we just heard about in Genesis\u2026 and so remember\u2026 if you see love\u2026 you see the Holy Trinity\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We take many of our experiences for granted\u2026 even without fully understanding them\u2026 we don’t understand where and how many of our foods are manufactured or processed\u2026 our pets don’t understand where and how their food comes from\u2026 we don’t understand how a seed sprouts and grows\u2026 how forgiveness works\u2026 how love covers a multitude of sins\u2026 some of these experiences transcend words\u2026 we may not have any interest in the eternal mystery of the Three in One\u2026 we may not want to understand the intricacies of systematic theology\u2026 but we are sustained by the Trinity’s dance of love\u2026 composer and singer\u2026 Leonard Cohen wrote a song called Dance Me to the End of Love\u2026 it’s heartbreakingly poignant\u2026 and the first stanza is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin We may also doubt that we can dance\u2026 it may simply be more comfortable to let the Freds and Gingers of the world do the dancing\u2026 but Jesus said to all the disciples\u2026 Go<\/em>\u2026 but Jesus didn’t say Go alone<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew’s Gospel ends with Jesus’ promise to be with us always\u2026 and when we hear these words\u2026 “I am with you always\u2026 to the end of the age\u2026” we tend to understand them as “to the end of time\u2026” but in the original Greek\u2026 the meaning is deeper and more profound\u2026 what Jesus is really saying\u2026 is that “I am with you always, until the completion of eternity.” This completion of eternity<\/em> is also expressed in St. Augustine’s words “Thou hast made us, O Lord\u2026 for thyself\u2026 and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee<\/em>.” Jesus remains with us\u2026 until the end of the age\u2026 until all love is perfected\u2026 until our sometimes imperfect bodily dances are danced perfectly in our hearts\u2026 the Lord of the Dance knows us so well\u2026 that even with our imperfections\u2026 invites us in to the dance\u2026 until the fulfillment of love\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year A Genesis 1:1-2:4a Canticle 13 (BCP) 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Matthew 28:16-20 May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026 In 1963\u2026 Sydney Carter wrote the lyrics to the Lord of the Dance\u2026 he was at least partly inspired by Jesus when he wrote\u2026 “I don’t know whether Jesus ever leaped in Galilee\u2026 to the rhythm of a pipe or drum\u2026 but we’re told that David danced\u2026 and as an act of worship too\u2026 the fact that many Christians have regarded dancing as a bit ungodly\u2026 in a church, at any rate\u2026 doesn’t mean that Jesus regarded it that way.” And Carter also offered a tribute to Shaker music\u2026 he used the tune from It’s a Gift to be Simple\u2026 But Carter was also inspired by a statue of the Hindu God Shiva which sat on his desk\u2026 posing as the Lord of the Dance\u2026 he later said: “I didn’t think the churches would like the hymn at all\u2026 I thought many people would find it pretty far flown\u2026 probably heretical\u2026 and anyway\u2026 dubiously Christian\u2026 but in fact people did sing it\u2026 and unknown to me\u2026 it touched a chord… anyway\u2026 it’s the sort of Christianity I believe in\u2026” On Trinity Sunday\u2026 some Christian theologians\u2026 talk about the perichoresis of the Holy Trinity\u2026 I won’t try to explain the eternal mystery of the Three in One\u2026 and thank goodness we’re not reading the Athanasian Creed\u2026 which can be found on pp. 864-865 of the BCP\u2026 and was in the Lutheran Book of Worship\u2026 but is not in the current prayer book\u2026 the ELW\u2026 but the Greek word perichoresis simply means rotation\u2026 and so the word evokes images of dancers spinning and twirling around each other on the dance floor\u2026 When we think about dancing\u2026 some of us may think of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to Cole Porter’s Night and Day\u2026 we may think of perfectly choreographed tango or salsa movements as part of a competition\u2026 but how many times have you heard someone say: Oh\u2026 I can’t dance\u2026 and what if someone trips\u2026 or falls\u2026 which you can see on Dancing with the Stars fails\u2026 on YouTube\u2026 but usually\u2026 mostly\u2026 when they say\u2026 I can’t dance\u2026 they’re just expressing doubt\u2026 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came\u2026 and said to them anyway\u2026 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” Go therefore\u2026 Jesus didn’t conduct auditions\u2026 didn’t invite in only the top four finalists\u2026 didn’t ask to see a diagram of feet on paper\u2026 like in the Rocky Horror Picture Show\u2026 even to the doubters\u2026 even to those who didn’t think they could dance\u2026 he said Go\u2026 baptize in the name of the Father\u2026 the Son\u2026 and the Holy Spirit\u2026 and teach them\u2026 Maybe those who doubted\u2026 didn’t think they could hear the divine music\u2026 but even those who can’t hear any music can still dance\u2026 deaf students at Gallaudet University\u2026 can dance by feeling the vibrations on the floor\u2026 but even when they’re dancing on something like concrete that doesn’t vibrate\u2026 they look to each other for visual and other cues\u2026 they teach each other\u2026 and can remain in the kind of sync\u2026 that Fred and Ginger had\u2026 Sometimes\u2026 we doubt too\u2026 that we won’t be able to hear\u2026 or feel the music\u2026 we may wonder if it even exists\u2026 but there are more dances than we can imagine that move to a more transcendent melody\u2026 and some of them even involve dancing\u2026 there are avian mating dances\u2026 like what the Bird of Paradise does\u2026 in relationships\u2026 maybe through counseling\u2026 when one person starts to get healthier\u2026 they say their partner needs to learn new dance steps\u2026 there’s the melody of gravity and momentum\u2026 of moons dancing around planets\u2026 planets dancing around the sun\u2026 and stars and galaxies dancing around each other\u2026 in some ways\u2026 Two Churches and Holy Trinty\u2026 even after about twenty months\u2026 remain in a new kind of dance\u2026 some are well choreographed\u2026 like this month’s White Caps game\u2026 and while we may… possibly\u2026 occasionally step on each other’s feet\u2026 no one gets disqualified\u2026 If\u2026 since\u2026 because we are created in the image of God\u2026 then that also means that we were created to create\u2026 and just as the first person was the Adam\u2026 the earth creature\u2026 we too toil over our own figurative lumps of clay\u2026 creating new things\u2026 new ideas\u2026 new ways of healing\u2026 and new ways of being\u2026 and each new genesis echoes the dance of the Trinity\u2026 Father\u2026 Son\u2026 and Holy Spirit\u2026 ] Creator\u2026 Redeemer\u2026 and Sustainer… and with Sydney Carter’s statue of Shiva in mind\u2026 rishi\u2026 devata\u2026 and chandas\u2026 the knower\u2026 the known\u2026 and the knowing which connects them in an ever expanding communion of love\u2026 ] and the coming of the Spirit\u2026 is like love hitting the cosmic fan\u2026 it’s God’s unrestrained and riotous giving that we just heard about in Genesis\u2026 and so remember\u2026 if you see love\u2026 you see the Holy Trinity\u2026 We take many of our experiences for granted\u2026 even without fully understanding them\u2026 we don’t understand where and how many of our foods are manufactured or processed\u2026 our pets don’t understand where and how their food comes from\u2026 we don’t understand how a seed sprouts and grows\u2026 how forgiveness works\u2026 how love covers a multitude of sins\u2026 some of these experiences transcend words\u2026 we may not have any interest in the eternal mystery of the Three in One\u2026 we may not want to understand the intricacies of systematic theology\u2026 but we are sustained by the Trinity’s dance of love\u2026 composer and singer\u2026 Leonard Cohen wrote a song called Dance Me to the End of Love\u2026 it’s heartbreakingly poignant\u2026 and the first stanza is: Dance me to your beauty with a burning violinDance me through the panic ’til I’m gathered safely inLift me like an olive branch and be my homeward doveDance me\u2026 to the end of love\u2026 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[138,250],"class_list":["post-2084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermons","tag-holy-trinity","tag-trinity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/dance-of-the-trinity.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2084"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2086,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084\/revisions\/2086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Dance me through the panic ’til I’m gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me\u2026 to the end of love\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n