By Christina Fox
Do you dance? I don’t. I never took ballet, dance, or tap lessons. If I attended a ball, I wouldn’t be able to even dance a simple waltz. Despite my awkward and failed attempts at dancing, I do love music. It stirs my soul and speaks to me in ways that nothing else can.
Dance competitions are popular to watch on television. When we see the couple’s dance, those who really know what they are doing, it’s nothing short of magical. Their bodies move in complete harmony with the beat–an intimate union of music and movement. They move so fluidly, it’s as though they don’t need to think about it. Not unlike breathing, dancing seems intrinsic to their very being.
The Dance of the Trinity
Some theologians liken the love between the members of the Trinity to that of a dance. C.S. Lewis wrote, “In Christianity God is not a static thing…but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance.”[1] Tim Keller describes this concept further in his book King’s Cross, “The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are pouring love and joy and adoration into the other, each one serving the other. They are infinitely seeking one another’s glory, and so God is infinitely happy. And if it’s true that this world has been created by this triune God, then the ultimate reality is a dance.” [2]
Because God enjoyed the love between the members of the Trinity so much, he created us so that we too can share in their experience of perfect love and joy. We were made to enter this mutual self-giving dance, orbiting around God as our center. We were made to encircle him, glorifying, loving, and serving him.
What this means is: You and I were made to dance.
Dance Lessons
Though I was made to dance, I don’t know how. The skills I ought to have inherited were lost and broken by my ancestors long ago when my first parents chose to step away from the dance. They wanted to try the steps on their own, away from the fellowship of their Maker. So I continue their heritage, trying to learn the dance all on my own.
Instead, I find myself as a wallflower, watching the dance from a distance. Pouting that my dance card is empty, I remain focused on myself and my needs. I live as though the world should revolve around me and my desires. I become immobile and stuck in my self-centered ways, unable to truly love those around me.
Yet, the Three wanted me to join their Dance and graciously invited me to the Ball. Though I shouldn’t even be on the guest list, Christ made a way for me to enter the dance hall. He wrote the invitation himself, marking it with his own seal, and signed it with the scarlet stained ink of his blood. He even provided me with the proper dancing clothes. When I put them on, I sway back and forth, delighting in their clean and pure whiteness. As I move, the swinging cloth reflects His glorious light, radiating my own face with joy.
Then he calls me out on the dance floor. I hesitate because I don’t know the moves. But he instructs me, showing me how to do each step. Then he fills me completely with his Spirit so that the rhythm becomes part of the very fabric of my soul.
Christ is teaching me the dance of true love. He is enabling me to love as he loves. As he pours his love into me, I overflow with that love to others. And so we move, swaying, leaning in, leaning back, turning and twirling. I stumble and he catches me. I miss a step and he corrects it. Sometimes I get weary and think I can’t take another step and then he lifts me into the air, sustaining me by his strength.
The more I dance, the more I discover who I truly am and who God has made me to be.
Jesus has invited you as well. You also were made for dancing the dance of self-giving, other seeking, self-less love. He made a way and opened the door for you to participate with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in their dance of glorious love and joy. It’s the dance you’ve always wanted to dance but never knew how. But don’t worry, he’ll teach you the steps.
It’s time now to practice. There is a Great Dance coming. We need to learn our dance moves to prepare us for that forever dance. There, we will spend eternity experiencing the perfect love of the Trinity where no one trips, steps on toes, or forgets a step. We’ll only receive and give perfect love, rejoicing forever that we were brought there by The Lord of the Dance himself.
[1] Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. New York: Macmillan, 1960. p.152
[2] Keller, Tim. King’s Cross. New York: Dutton, 2011. p.7-8
________________
The CBMW National Conference is April 8, 2014 in Louisville, KY. Speakers include John Piper, David Platt, Albert Mohler, and more.
Registration is just $30. Find more information here.
You, too, can help support the ministry of CBMW. We are a non-profit organization that is fully-funded by individual gifts and ministry partnerships. Your contribution will go directly toward the production of more gospel-centered, church-equipping resources.
Menu
