Dunbar UCC

July 12, 2009

2 Samuel 6:14, 17-19

Mark 6:14-29

Dancing, Dancing, Dancing

I.        This morning we saw two dances in our readings.

          “David danced before the Lord with all his might,” and Herodias danced for Herod.  David danced for God, and Herodias for the devil.  These are the only two dances there are, and we can do both. 

II.       Our parents teach us.  The first dance I learned was “the family dance.”   They said my ancestors were the best people, and “the Greek church is the only true church.  And other people -- especially Blacks,  Asians, and  Hispanics -- are inferior. “

III.      But my mother and grandmother also taught me to dance with Jesus, and Jesus taught me to rock and roll with everyone.  He said everyone is my family. 

IV.     It’s not easy dancing with Jesus because he makes us dance with people we don’t like.   How do you do that?  When David danced for the Lord, his wife Michal looked from the palace window and saw him dancing almost naked, like a common person -- and “despised him.”  David never forgave her for that -- he rejected her.

            Too bad the two of them didn’t know Jesus.  Jesus would  have taught them how to tango again.  

V.      We just lost one of the greatest dancers this world has ever seen, Michael Jackson.  When Fred Astaire saw him dance he said:  “O God, that boy moves in a very exceptional way.  He’s the greatest dancer of the  century.”  If you want to see something that borders on the miraculous, google the 1995 MTV awards and watch Jackson dance.  I don’t know if something like that can ever be repeated.  

          What’s so important about Jackson’s dance is what it did.  He brought people together across races, cultures and genders.  His dancing brought enemies into the same place and made them forget they were enemies.

            That’s why he’s great. 

VI.     He learned that dance from Jesus.   When Jesus danced, he healed people.  He cast out the evil spirits that make us bigots, the evil spirits that make us think we have a right to be in this country and other people don’t, the evil spirits that make us think our race, our gender, our sexual orientation is better than someone elses.  Jesus brought everyone together at one table and said, “Listen -- we’re all family.  Everyone has food, and health, and life at my table.” 

          This is the dance we study here. As we follow Jesus, we will learn to waltz with our enemies, and moonwalk with the poor and despised people of the earth.

          And we’ll learn to love every step because the Master is holding our hand.  My God -- what a dance this is!