Dance Party Theology

It’s never good when someone tells you, “Hey… you look a little tired.” Perhaps you should call the doc when several people start telling you that. 

Last Sunday, as we were meeting at Smyrna First Baptist, several people asked, “How ya doin’ with all the change?” “You dealing with the chaos, OK?” One or two of those comments, and you can brush things aside. With several of those kinds of remarks, you gotta check your face! I did. I wasn’t smiling much.

After much thought, I’ve concluded this: I need to dance.

Mind you, I’m not a dancer. In fact, I’m a non-dancer. Just ask Claudia. She was my Freshman date to our high school homecoming dance. While the music was blaring, we sat at a table as I played with her wrist corsage (It was a really lovely wrist corsage). Claudia smiled at all her friends on the dance floor and then turned a frown at me.

I want to dance, I just can’t. I can in the kitchen with my kids and Sherry, but that’s about it. Nothing public for me. I watch others dance. It looks fun. It seems easy. I want to. But… to no avail. My non-dancing upbringing keeps my happy feet well-constrained within my shoes.

What if we all just need to dance? Laugh? Could it be that to engage our neighbors and move from strangers to acquaintance to a relationship, we need to dance, laugh… throw a little party?

On Sunday, I’ll be unpacking my dance party theology. It comes from Luke 5:27-32. Jesus shows us some necessary components to dance party theology and neighboring well.   We’ll close out our “Neighboring Well” series this Sunday – 4 p.m. at Smyrna First Baptist Church.

 I’m excited to teach. It’s been a minute.

And BTW… how are you holding up with the Cumberland transition, change, and church chaos? Maybe you need to dance to. Smile. Laugh. Jesus would totally approve.

See you Sunday afternoon.

Blessings,

alan