Our Gospel reading today was from Matthew 11: 16-19; 25-30, and it includes some of my favorite verses. This song came to mind as I was listening to it being read, so when I got home I had to look for it. We don't use it very often (and we didn't use it today), but every time I hear it, I'm more enamored with the whole concept of Jesus as the Lord of the Dance. Maybe it's the Baptist in me who grew up hearing that dancing is a sin, and somehow I knew all along that it really wasn't.

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The picture I've included is Stephen Sawyer's "Divine Dignity." I've looked at lots of religious art this week-end since LaRue's pictures inspired me, but this particular picture portrays the strength and youthful vitality of a dancer, to me anyway. I hope I don't get in trouble for using copyrighted song lyrics and copyrighted artwork without permission, so if it's here today and gone tomorrow, you'll know what happened.

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The Lord of the Dance

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,

And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,

And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,

At Bethlehem I had my birth.

Refrain
Dance, then, wherever you may be;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,

But they would not dance and they would not follow me;

I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;

They came to me and the dance went on.

Refrain

I danced on the Sabbath when I cured the lame,

The holy people said it was a shame;

They whipped and they stripped and they hung me high;

And they left me there on a cross to die.

Refrain

I danced on a Friday and the sky turned black;

It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back;

They buried my body and they thought I’d gone,

But I am the dance and I still go on.

Refrain

They cut me down and I leapt up high,

I am the life that’ll never, never die;

I’ll live in you if you’ll live in me;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

Refrain

By Sydney B. Carter