Advent Journey - Day 25
Reflection
I confess, this posting is just an excuse to bring us back to one of my favourite allegories of our faith journey - the Dance.
Too often we think in a very Western, very linear, way about what the journey of faith is - that somehow it just goes from A to B (though we don't know what B is, and might not be that sure about where we started with A) and that we have a destination - heaven, nirvanah, Zion (for The Matrix fans), or wherever.
I don't think that faith journeys are quite so linear - as I wrote in an article for our local newspaper some while back, I think I prefer the idea of faith as a dance to any other image of faith. If I may quote myself for a moment:
"I personally like the image of faith as a dance – it involves movement, it’s dynamic, energetic, constantly changing. Yes, there are certain steps which are named and have a certain form – but there is also room for improvisation, exploration, leaping, falling, quietness, joy, exuberance, discovery."
If our life, our journey, of faith seems to be difficult, perhaps it would help to stop thinking of it as a path from one place to another, but instead of an exploration of a new place, with new steps, which might together form a dance, a time of movement and life and celebration. I am not the fittest, slimmest, or most agile of individuals, but dancing is still a life giving, life affirming, and joy-bringing event.
Having recently spent some time in Kenya - my offering for reflection today is a video of some joyful music to move our bodies and fill our hearts with! Jambo Bwana!!!
Scripture
Let them praise God's name with dancing and make music to God with timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes delight in their people; and crowns the humble with victory.
Psalm 149 verses 3, 4