I asked the question, "How would you describe your favorite song to a person born deaf?" One of the answers I received was that they would communicate the emotion and passion of the song through dance.
For those of us who enjoy full use of our haring faculty seeing someone dancing and not hearing the music might appear strange to us. Not long ago we might have immediately assumed some form of mental illness, today we look to see if they are wearing an i-pod! If they are dancing beautifully we may find ourselves drawn into the moment wondering what music is playing in their head as they bob and weave to the rhythm of the sounds they hear. If the dancing is ugly and poor we will, no doubt, quickly pass by and move on our way dismissing them as being a little crazy.
For the spiritually deaf, for those who have never heard the gospel, whose ears have not yet been opened by the Holy Spirit to the wonderful music of God's movement in the world, what does the dance of the church look like? Is is appealing and attractive, full of grace? Are the movements graceful and not forced, does it convey the beauty of love, joy, peace, patience... or is it an aggressive angry dance full of judgment and condemnation?
Does the dance of the church connect with the people around them or is it a quaint memory of a largely bygone era? Like the morris dance in England, quaint, great to see at folk festivals but not exactly connecting with life in the 21st Century.
I am not a dancer, but I pray that the dance of my life would reflect the beauty, power, majesty and love of our God for the world to see.
Dance well!
