Join in the Dance

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. Zephaniah 3:16-18a

In this passage, the prophet is speaking to the exiles in Babylon about their eventual return to Jerusalem. He speaks of God's overwhelming excitement about bringing them home. It will be like a festival day.

Festival days are not somber occasions. They are days of singing and dancing. When King David brought the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem many centuries earlier, the people danced in procession before the ark. Scriptures say that David danced before the LORD with all his might. Now, Zephaniah says that God will be leading the procession of dancers when they enter the gates of Jerusalem upon their return from exile.

Do you remember those momentous occasions in your life when you could hardly contain your excitement? The time she said yes to your marriage proposal; the time your first child was born; the day when you first set foot in your new home; those were times when you danced and sang with joy.

Even more so God takes delight in his creatures. His love for us is so great that he cannot keep from dancing and singing over us with great joy. He invites us to join in the dance, and we in turn invite others, and so the beat goes on.

Prayer: Lord of the Dance, we are so glad that you take delight in your creatures. And so we rejoice over you in song. We join with each other in the dance. The body of dancers moves forward in rhythm with your step as you dance over us with joy. The song we sing is your song, and the church lives out its purpose in perfect harmony. May we also bring into the dance those whose steps are faltering and those whose voices are weak. As the company of dancers grows, the song and the dance are magnified in jubilant praise, mounting to the very highest heavens. Let the dance and the music go on forever. Amen.