"Are We Human or Are We Dancers?"

A sermon preached by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp on The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The sermon is based on II Samuel 6:1-5, 12-19.

As is often the case, on Monday morning when I came into the office one of the first things I did was sit down and take a look at the Lectionary Readings for Sunday. To my delight, the First Testament Reading was one of my favorite stories and I knew right away that this would be the inspiration for my sermon this morning. Another reason I decided on this reading from II Samuel was because last week Miriam started dance classes. This was one of her birthday gifts from Amber and me. Miriam enjoys putting on her leotard, along with her ballet shoes and dancing around the house. She is always ready and willing to give us a performance. She isn’t shy when it comes to dancing.
American journalist and author, Hunter S. Thompson once said: “America is raising a generation of dancers.” Now obviously, he wasn’t speaking literally but metaphorically and meant that America was making people feel afraid of stepping out of place and following their own beat. He was saying that people were only following the steps they were taught, and were also taught not to change them - to do so would be immoral and dangerous! Sparked by Thompson’s statement is one of my favorite songs by The Killers entitled “Human.” In the song the question is posed: “Are we human or are we dancers?” Do we fit the mold or do we live in a radically different way? Do we remain in the comfort and security of the boat or, better yet, the church or do we step out on faith?
While it is not necessarily antithetical to our human nature to dance, the fact is, most of do not feel comfortable dancing. Maybe this lack of comfort comes in our inability to dance or the fear of being made fun of or maybe it is because we do not have a sense of rhythm or could it be that we have two left feet? One of my favorite quotes is: “Dance as if no one is watching.” Personally, I’ve always enjoyed dancing and if the opportunity is afforded to me I will usually “cut a rug.” Although, it seems that the only dancing I do anymore is with my Miriam and Elijah in our living room. But dancing is fun! Dancing is healthy! And, what’s more, as we see in our Scripture Lesson this morning, dancing is expressive.
Certainly, we can’t help but ask when reading this passage from II Samuel, have we tamed the gospel? Are we as passionate about our worship as David was? Are we as excited, as David was, about what God is doing in our lives, in the church and in our world? Are our lives filled with joy, as David’s was, about being in the presence of God? Do we really know what it feels like to rejoice “with all of our might” as David did? Or are we closer to being, as Henry Brinton says, the “frozen chosen” who sit in our pews immobile and without any expression?
Typically, we think of David in the Hebrew Scriptures as a hero and a mighty king, we think of him as a tremendous source of hope for the people of Israel. And, on the flipside, when we think of his humanness we tend to concentrate on his weakness, especially his inability to resist Bathsheba and the tragic events that occurred as a result. But in our Scripture Lesson this morning, we see a different side of David. One that is often overlooked! One that often goes unnoticed! Here we see a very human David, a very joy-filled, dancing David. This image of David reminds me of what Irenaeus' once wrote: “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” And, without a doubt, David was fully alive in our Scripture Lesson this morning.
David, who tradition says was the composure of many of the psalms that are found in the Psalter or the Book of Psalms, is pictured in the opening chapter of II Samuel full of grief over the deaths of Jonathan and Saul. But here, almost midway through II Samuel, we have the other side of his passion - his profound gratitude and praise for God’s work in the life of Israel, bringing the people together, uniting the kingdom, strengthening them in a common cause against the Philistines, establishing the people and their land and fulfilling the promises of God right before their eyes, in their own lifetime.
Keep in mind, the Philistines had returned the Ark of the Covenant after they had captured it because the awesome power of the Ark frightened them. And when it was returned, it was kept for a while in the house of Abinadab. But once David established Jerusalem as the capital city and as his seat of power, he wanted to restore the Ark to the center of the people's shared life. You see, the Ark was for the people of Israel “a visible symbol and reminder of God's awesome presence.”
Henry Brinton has compared our "frozen chosen" worship to a modern dance solo by Paul Taylor, the dancer and choreographer who "simply stood motionless on stage for four minutes. The dancing we do in church tends to be quite similar to Paul Taylor's solo, Brinton says. What we do is nothing – we just stand still, hardly moving a muscle. There are many Christians who want nothing more than to play the role of a spectator when it comes to worship. Why else do you think in many Protestant churches the offering plate is passed and the communion is brought to the people in their pews one more attempt to sit motionless. But we often forget that our worship of God involves our whole selves - our minds, our hearts, our voices, and our bodies.
Sadly, many Christians, when it comes to worship, look a bit like fossils instead of being fully alive. They appear to be like the dead bones of Ezekiel’s vision instead of being filled with the life and breath of God’s Spirit.
Perhaps some of you recall that scene in the movie Jurassic Park, when world-class paleontologist Allen Grant, who had devoted his life to the study of dinosaurs, suddenly comes face-to-face with a real, life prehistoric creature. He falls to the ground, dumbstruck and in awe. The reason is obvious. It is one thing to piece together an informed but nonetheless imperfect image of a dinosaur by picking through fossils and bones. But to encounter an actual dinosaur—well, there can be no comparison. For many people, this is true of faith. They pick through the fossils and the artifacts of faith that have survive from long ago and far away without ever really experiencing the real presence of God. God is real! God is with us! Sadly, we spend so much of our time picking through the artifacts and fossils of our faith, rather than experiencing the real, divine presence of God with us and as a result we often become fossilized ourselves.
I love the different reactions from the different characters in the bible to the presence of God. But, by far, this is my most favorite reaction - dancing, a celebration! Being in the presence of God sparks different emotions and reactions. Humility, confession, joy, singing, dancing and all of these are embodied in our worship.
Some think that the only way to capture this spirit is to go to a charismatic church where they literally dance down the aisles, but this isn’t necessarily true! This story is not advocating a more inclusive worship that involves shouting and dancing. This story is reminding us that the spirit of joy, the spirit of worship comes when we open ourselves to the presence of God and that worship is manifested in a variety of ways.
There’s a popular show entitled, Dancing with the Stars. The show pairs up celebrities with professional ballroom dancers. There are all types of dances, not all of them are fast and jubilant, some of them are slow and expressive, some are intense and reflective. And so it is, Jesus, who is often referred to as the Bright and Morning Star has invited us to dance with him. To join his Spirit in dancing.
And so, like David, let’s not be afraid to take a hold of God’s hand as God leads us onto the dance floor. Christians are called to be dancers, not in the way that Hunter Thompson meant, we are not to conform to a particular group, or class, or label; we called to dance with God - the Great Liberator. We are called to become joined with God - the Creator of the Dance, to move in God’s rhythm, to step in God’s timing, to dance in a radically different way, to dance the dance of love and compassion, justice and grace. This dance isn’t confined to Sunday morning at 11:00, this is the dance of David, that moves beyond the walls of this church and follows the presence of God, which knows no boundaries or limitations. And so, God is calling us this morning put on our dancing shoes and join in the Creator’s Dance. As Janet Morley wrote, in her beautiful benediction:

“May the God who dances in creation,
who embraces us with human love,
who shakes our lives like thunder,
bless us and drive us out [onto the dance floor of life]
that we may fill the world with [God’s love and joy].”