Title:- Dancing Divinity
Luke 15:25 Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing
It makes me sweat. You know? Public dancing. Something deadly happened to my rhythm a long while ago, under a disco ball in a church hall somewhere far away and it’s now atrophied. So when it comes to weddings and fun nights that involve dancing….Oh dear, bring on the deodorant.
I am always astonished to find films rooted in their locality doing so well globally, an old film called the ‘Full Monty’ being one of them. I giggled watching it again on T.V. in America for a number of reasons. First, though the film had been censored for the American audience by removing all the expletive ‘F’ bombs, they had left a multitude of even worse words and phrases in the movie! These local curse words obviously were not yet a global commodity! Secondly, I laughed at just how well the film was received and yet how much of the pathos and passion contained therein just had to have been missed. The American common mind set is very, very far removed from Yorkshire. I’ve never been a male stripper, but I have stood in those job lines and sat on those benches under miserable skies wondering where I’m going to get work. ‘Full Monty’ is so true in its portrayal of out of work desperation that it brings back far too many of my own bad and jobless memories and moves me to tears.In the film, there is one stunning scene in particular that is of interest to us today. The ‘fat’ male dancer called Dave (he went on to act as lead in a CBC comedy, ‘Still Standing’) funnily fights against the lie that ‘fat is a feminist issue’, by being thoroughly ashamed of his own plump proportions. He wonderfully portrays the out of work, overweight man who has lost his dignity, his devotion and his sex drive. In the saddest of scenes, Dave tearfully asks his wife “Who would want to see him, a fat guy dancing?” His wife tenderly, lovingly and longingly looks at him and says “Me. I would Dave. Me.”
Sin, has robbed many of us of our joy, and turned our dancing into mourning. Pharisaic religion has done the same for far too many more of us. However, the extravagant God has a party going on! There is even now rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner who repents. How else would God rejoice, but with laughter, and singing and dancing? I wonder if King David might have asked God one day saying “Who would want to see me a murderer, an adulterer, a deceiver, a liar, a fallen and broken man. Who would want to see me dancing?" And I wonder if God looked tenderly, lovingly and longingly on him and said “Me Dave. I would. Me.” Listen:- Lee Ann Womack in her song ‘Dance’, maybe nicely sums up a challenge for the atrophied of soul today friends. “Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance. (slight pause) Dance! I hope you dance.”
Pray:- Lord. Truly turn my mourning into dancing before Your gracious triumphant holy and ever rejoicing, oh so happy throne. Amen!
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