Sunday, May 17, 2009 
Scripture Reading: Exodus 15:20
20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.
Sermon Title: "DANCING THRU LIFE" Sunday, May 17, 2009
PASTOR HUDSON: Well, today we are
thinking in terms of what it means to dance through
life. Many of us struggle with the whole concept of
dancing. A few years ago at another church the young
adult Sunday school class, which consisted of 30- and
40-year-olds, decided to have a dance. They had it
all set up like a quasi-prom night. I stopped by and
was observing what was going on and I discovered
something.
It really was like a junior high prom. All the
men were lined up against this wall over here. The
ladies got out on the floor and tried to get the dance
started. Eventually all the guys ended up talking
about sports, and the ladies danced with each other.
We struggle with dancing, but you know, that's
not the way most of us started out. Kids have a
natural tendency to get out there and dance. I'm
talking about toddlers on up to kindergarten or first
grade. They're very uninhibited. They'll have a
great time far more so than the adults.
Somewhere along the way we are robbed of our free
spirit which causes us to be able to dance. In some
ways life does that to us. We get beat around by
life. We get the stuffing kicked out of us leaving us
feeling pretty sober and end up taking a jaded view of
things.
Families can have a tendency to stomp things out
of us a little bit. Dad and Mom may wrestle so
seriously with life they don't allow kids to be kids.
Another factor that tends to quench the dance can be
the church. Some people can morph into an
understanding that walking with God is not very joyful
at all, but something very serious, very straight
laced. We have all known Christians who live as
though being morose is a spiritual virtue, you know,
if we aren't miserable all the time we can't really be
a blessing to God. The dance has been snuffed out.
If you are that kind of person where life or your
family or maybe even the church has squeezed the dance
out of you, consider these things as possible
remedies: Try an adventure, push boundaries, whatever
that might be. Consider the possibility an adventure
could be spiritual as well. Think about the things
that could cause you to break the cycle of drabness in
your life.
Some of the most profoundly transforming
adventures many of us have ever had is when we step up
and go beyond our comfort zones by saying yes to
something unknown. The writer of Psalms understood
sometimes there are weeping moments because you may
have feelings of why did I ever agree to do this when
attempting something for the first time. In Psalms it
says blessed are those who go forth weeping because
they will return rejoicing bringing their sheaves with
them.
Say yes to going on a mission trip or engaging in
a ministry. Say yes to something you are invited to
do by God or by those who are shaping that ministry on
behalf of God. You will find yourself coming back
transformed and changed.
Over the years I've discovered when we go forth
in mission and ministry and say I'm not content with
just the same old, same old, I want to push the
boundary, the end result is we come back saying I am
so glad I did. Some of the most anointing people in
life are those who come back from mission trips and
want to tell us all about it. Some of the most
meaningful experiences in my life have been those
where we go and accomplish something.
So dancing where our feet cannot be still, I
think that's the way our lives ought to be. Jesus
said I come so that you may have life and that more
abundantly. Is your life abundant? Let's make the
commitment to live life in such a way you are dancing
through life. Quit hugging the walls. Get out there
where it really matters both in the day-to-day fabric
of your life and the spiritual fabric of the church
and our life together with the Lord.
In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy
Spirit, Amen.