Dance - A Sermon for Holy Trinity Sunday June 4, 2023
GOSPEL: Matthew 28:16-20.
The holy gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
After his resurrection, Jesus summons his remaining disciples and commissions them to baptize and teach all nations in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
What do you think when you hear
Cadillac Ranch by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band?
Some might say to themselves
“Bruce Springsteen did it better”
But I when I hear Cadillac Ranch,
I want to slap leather!
If you don’t know,
Slap Leather is the name
for the line dance that often accompanies this song.
You don’t need to wear a big belt buckle & wranglers
to line dance.
But what if you don’t know how to do the line dance?
What if there is no line-dance instructor?
Well, you watch,
and you learn,
and you get up and try it for yourself.
Believe it or not, I used to DJ weddings and Christmas parties.
I went by DJ Fast.
(The Germans might get that one.)
I can tell you from experience that,
sometimes, no one gets up to dance,
and it takes a person with courage
to walk to the dance floor and start the line dance.
Again, from experience,
I can tell you it sure looks funny doing it by yourself.
But line dancing is made for everyone to participate in,
whether you’ve got moves like Mick Jagger
or the charisma of a fence post.
Line dancing is not a spectator sport!
Line dances are for everyone,
no matter how good a dancer you might be.
When we join the dance,
we enter into joyful, relational creativity with one another.
That sounds like the Church at its best:
joyful, relational creativity with one another,
and with God.
Dear Church - you and I are the sent ones,
we are the modern-day apostles.
We are sent out by God’s Spirit into our neighbourhood
to join God’s work in the neighbourhood.
God is at work in the neighbourhood
because God is interested in relationship
with the neighbourhood:
joyful, relational creativity.
In fact, God is relationship.
If we want to know God,
we need only look at Jesus,
who poured himself out in relationship with others.
We best see who our God is
in Christ’s life, death and resurrection.
Any understanding of God
apart from the Crucified God is
simply inadequate.
On this Holy Trinity Sunday,
we remember,
and celebrate,
and worship our God: Blessed and Holy Trinity.
3 in 1, 1 in 3.
God is Creator.
God is Redeemer.
God is Sanctifier.
Father, Son, Spirit:
Unity in Diversity and Diversity in Unity.
You see, God is loving community in and of Godself.
Each person of the Trinity is equal,
yet unique.
There is no hierarchy.
Just intimate love,
intimate relationship
and sharing of all things.
Jesus. Spirit. Creator.
Creation itself,
as we heard the first creation story today,
comes into being out of relationship.
God’s love and God’s being expresses itself
in and through creation.
God is not creation,
but God is found in creation,
and at its heart is relationship:
joyful, relational creativity.
Think for a moment about how interdependent creation is.
The bee, the tree, its fruit,
the creatures that eat the fruit,
all part of God’s design.
Humans depend upon and are called into relationship with creation:
air, water,
land, vegetation, animals,
humans.
We are created to be in relationship
with each other
and with all creation.
But also consider the depth of human sin,
our destruction of lands and seas and skies,
not to mention the harm that we have caused
one another in relationship with one other.
Humanity is broken.
Creation is groaning.
But it does not end with brokenness.
You see, God is not just sitting tight.
God didn’t just create everything and disappear.
God the Father continues to provide.
God the Son continues to save us
in the depth of our sin.
God the Holy Spirit continues to
call, gather, enlighten and make holy
all God’s people.
God is at work in the neighbourhood
because God is interested in relationship
with the neighbourhood - joyful, relational creativity.
God’s work in the world is about
the redemption and reconciliation of all creation.
This is what God is doing in your neighbourhood.
God is not content with lands torn apart,
nor people torn apart,
nor suffering of any kind.
God is inviting us into something greater.
We are invited to live into peace,
healing,
and harmony with our God
and each other.
Or put another way,
God: Unity in Diversity and Diversity in Unity
is dancing in the neighbourhood,
and God is inviting you to join the dance.
Perhaps the tough part for us now
is that too often we are like
spectators at a wedding dance,
sipping mediocre liquor
and full from the buffet.
The dance floor looks empty.
Some of us aren’t all that good at dancing,
some don’t want to dance,
some don’t know how to dance,
But God’s hand is extended, saying
“Would you like to dance?”
“Would you like to join me in joyful, relational creativity?”
And sometimes we just can’t hear
or don’t recognize the music.
Is this a waltz,
a two step?
Are we dancing the Macarena or slapping leather here?
Whether you can hear it or not,
God’s song is playing.
Whether you can see it or not,
God’s Light show is on,
and the dance has already begun.
But do we know the steps?
Many years ago I was at a dance.
I knew most of the people there,
but the dance had hit a lull,
which is normal.
The dance floor was empty and people were visiting.
But then a song came on,
and I thought to myself,
“Self, I want to do the line dance to this one.”
The problem was that this particular song
didn’t have a well-known line dance
associated with it.
But I started it anyways.
I took my place on the floor,
all by myself.
I found the beat, and let er rip.
I probably looked weird,
But I didn’t care.
I wanted to dance!
After a couple times through the steps,
I looked around and noticed:
I’m still alone.
People are hesitant to dance
when they don’t know the steps,
or don’t know the song.
Perhaps it was pity,
but eventually someone joined me.
They watched me and picked up the steps.
Then another joined in,
and another.
Pretty soon we had a decent sized line dance going on
and no one saw it coming.
A big part of getting the dance started
is getting over your fear.
Sure, we don’t want to look silly.
We don't want to fall on our face.
We don’t want to sweat.
We don’t want to be embarrassed.
Sometimes we’re afraid we’ll have fun.
And sometimes we just don’t want to dance
with that person..
There are so many reasons why people sit on the sidelines
instead of dancing.
God’s music is playing,
Christ’s Light show is on,
The Spirit is calling - it is time to dance.
We are called to make disciples of all nations:
that means relationship with people of different
cultures and ethnicities.
It means relationships with people
who believe different things than you do.
It means getting to know your neighbours
that you might not want to get to know.
It means learning new dance steps.
It might also mean joy and peace:
You can’t be mad at your sister
when you’re dancing the YMCA together.
It’s all smiles with that wacky aunt or uncle
when you’re clucking along to the chicken dance.
Remember, you are not alone on the dance floor.
You are dancing with your family in Christ.
You are dancing with our God,
and don’t worry if you don’t know the steps:
our God always takes the lead:
joining God in the neighbourhood is just like a line dance:
just try the steps,
move to the beat,
God will take the lead.
God is inviting you to join in the dance of the Trinity.
That means it’s okay to get sweaty,
it’s okay to look silly.
It’s okay to fall on your face,
or get embarrassed,
and maybe, just maybe,
you’ll even have some fun.
In the dance of the Trinity - in the kingdom of God -
there is no room for sitting in fear on the sidelines.
Do not be afraid.
God knows your steps,
and God’s will guide you through them,
and help you learn them.
Christ is at your side:
remember, I am with you always,
to the end of the age.
Our God is moving.
Father, Son, Spirit, Unity in Diversity,
Diversity in Unity
is moving.
The song is glorious.
The rhythm is captivating.
The movement is contagious.
So let’s dance.
