Dancing Before the Lord

We don't often think about dancing before the Lord in worship in our American Frontier Protestant Restoration Movement experience. However, liturgical dancing is ancient. There are some wonderful examples in scripture. After God delivered Moses and the Israelites from Pharaoh's army, we read in Exodus 15:20-21:

²⁰ Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing. ²¹ And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."

A dear friend recently sent me a video that made me think of this passage. Turn up your speakers and watch this video here.

In the story of the Prodigal son found in the 15th chapter of the gospel of Luke, the older brother who was out in the field was upset when he heard "music and dancing" in celebration of his brother. In this parable the Father goes out into the field to entreat the older son to come join in the celebration. In explaining to the resentful son why they were celebrating, the Father says:

It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive;

he was lost, and is found.

I think the Church is often like the older son in the parable. We have forgotten how important it is to the heart of the Father that we celebrate the miracle of grace and redemption. Somehow, when we walk the walk and dance the dance together while lifting up our hearts in praise, we see the miraculous being celebrated in the flesh. It is time for the Church to reclaim the joy that has been stolen by those like the older brother who refuse to celebrate.