A Message from Pastor Mark...

Do you like Dancing With The Stars? Many folks do – the glamour, the music, the sometimes graceful, sometimes agile moves of the dancers and the stars. Each time I catch an ad for the show, I’m reminded how much I personally avoid dancing in public. Whenever we go to a wedding or a dinner party out, I dread the moment when the band or DJ begins to play. I know that my wife will want to dance and I work to find a way out.

Why do I avoid dancing so much? I don’t want to look silly or incompetent or make a fool of myself. I don’t want others to see me moving on the dance floor and think, “Ouch! That guy is really awful.” I don’t want to trip my partner or knock her in the face when moving my arms. I don’t want to fall on my backside in the middle of the floor. I have lots of “good” reasons. And yet, my wife still wants to dance with me! She just enjoys being with me, moving through the crowd on the dance floor in sync with the music in the room.

Perhaps you’re wondering why all the talk about dancing and my avoiding it. Well, being in relationship with Jesus is like dancing with him. The music is powerful, the grace and joy that accompany the dance is uplifting and freeing, and it can take your breath away. Yet, often times, we avoid jumping in, afraid we’ll look silly or afraid we’ll fall. Maybe we don’t want to be with “those perfect kind of people” whose lives are so smooth and errorless. Maybe we’re afraid we won’t be able to live up to the expectations and would rather spare the disappointment.

But here’s the great thing about Jesus – he still wants to dance with us! He knows we’re not perfect, that we’re afraid, and that we don’t want to fail or look goofy or to fall down. And yet, he still wants us to dance with him, to sail through the trials and troubles of life with him beside us, helping us along. And he wants to enjoy our being together, moving to the music of life provided by the Creator.

So, come on, join hands with Jesus in the dance of life!

Shalom,
Pastor Mark