THE RESURRECTION DANCE

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!
Earlier today I preached about our need to ride, to hope in Jesus and celebrate the victory of life over death, of light over darkness.

It was a plea that we not allow ourselves to get mired down in the insecurity and fear that often comes with being defined by others of by the world and embracing the notion that God has  redeemed us in Jesus and that we can celebrate the gift of  the freedom to be who God has created us to be.

I suggested that we should be alive enough to move to dancing for joy in the celebration of the resurrection. My plea this morning was that we might come to accept the gift that God gave us on this day. I referenced the Resurrection Dance from Resurrection Day in Budapest. (You can view this video at the end of this post). The hope is that our living witness would be a resurrection dance and that we would decide what the resurrection dance would look like. For some of us it might me dancing among the hungry, for others the poor, for yet others, dancing among the grieving or the ill.  There are many other ways to do the resurrection dance, you can think of a few and offer some suggestions if you like.

The Psalmist declares in Psalm 118:

“On this day the Lord has acted, we will rejoice and be glad.”

Arla Peters sang this very well today. the refrain to the psalm for today ends with ‘Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!”  How wonderful today that the congregation sang back to me during my preaching …”Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!” It is fitting that we make this our song. Our funeral liturgy in the Anglican church includes the words, “Even at the grave we make our song, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!” It is because of what we celebrate today that we are able to sing those alleluias even when we stand beside the tomb and even when it hurts.

We have much to celebrate today. Death has no victory over us….it’s enough to make me dance…what about you?….What does your resurrection dance look like.