THE DANCE
03rd Jul 2013
One of the hymns we sang at a wedding we attended recently was Lord of the Dance by Sydney Carter. It had been a very long time since I had sung that song, which became popular in the late 1960’s. At that time, due to my rather conservative theology, I had found it somewhat shocking!
I now looked at the words more closely and found them refreshing and full of life. It was a great song for a wedding, as the newly married couple declared their intention to invite Jesus to be the centre of their lives, and to dance with them into their future together. Jesus is inviting us to dance with Him in every aspect of our lives.
The refrain goes like this:
Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the dance, said He
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said He.
To watch two people dance skilfully together is a thing of beauty and wonder. It strikes at the heart of independent action. It is compelling to watch both of them move as one. What an amazing parable of how our lives should be lived in perfect harmony and synergy with Jesus. He leads, we follow. He marks out the steps and we place our feet where he directs.
We sang the final verse:
They cut Me down and I leapt up high
I am the life that will never, never die
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in Me
I am the Lord of the dance, said He
I found myself singing this song in an entirely new way. Yes, Jesus, I want to dance with You. I want my life to be in complete unity and harmony with Yours. I want to live freely, lightly with joy and abandon.
Jesus told His disciples, “On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20)
How about it? A life dancing with Jesus!
by Charles Sibthorpe
