Hello,
Just got back
from my niece’s wedding that took place in Avon, Colorado. Elevation: 8500 ft. I was there not only as an uncle, but also a
pastor, and so I presided at the wedding.
It was a wonderful event.
However, after the service, during the reception, I discovered something
that I had not known before. It is hard
to dance when the air is thin.
The air is thin….very
thin…at 8500 ft., nevertheless as the reception was coming to a close and I had
grabbed a seat, having danced several dances with my wife, I heard the
introduction to a song that magnetically pulled me back onto the floor. “Shut Up And Dance With Me!” That was the song….a peppy song with a fun
beat….and the chorus belting out an invitation that I could not resist. So, my wife and I leapt (well, maybe slogged)
onto the dance floor and showed everyone there how to do it. Now, I may not quite be ready for dancing
with the stars (I fail on two accounts: I am not that good of a dancer, and I
am not a star.), but I have been known to be able to trip the light fantastic
and keep “Stayin’ Alive”. But it wasn’t
too far along in the song that I could feel my legs getting a bit wobbly, and
my breathing getting labored. Not to be
shown up by the younger and fitter there, we kept on dancing, but when the song
was over we slogged (definitely not leapt) back to our seats, and I leaned over
and said to my wife, “This altitude really saps the strength out of me.” She nodded.
It is hard to
dance when the air is thin.
How thin is the air
that the world gives us to breath? How
full of hope is the air that comes with the promise of a friend, “You can count
on me.” How full of peace is the air
that comes with the brandishing of guns and bombs? How full of joy is the vows at a wedding, “I
will”.
It is not that
these things are not in the air that the world gives us to breath: hope, peace,
and joy. It is just that the fullness of
each of them is measured, not full.
Friends move. War happens. Spouses pass away. The air that the world gives us to breath is
thin, sometimes making it hard to dance.
Sometimes making it impossible to dance.
But when I hear
the Word of God say, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” (Hebrews 13:5) or
“For I am convinced that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things
to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” (Romans 8:38), I feel strength and power pulse through my body to dance that
only comes with thick air. And I can
feel my feet start to shuffle to know that God will not ever move away from
me. I can feel my shoes start to
electrically slide to know that I am lead by the one who knows where the still
waters and green pastures are and peacefully leads me there. And I can feel my arms raise and gyrate to
know that nothing….NOTHING….can separate me from God’s love in Jesus
Christ. Thick air! Thick air filling my lungs. Filling my life. Giving me strength to dance….and keep on
dancing!
When I was a kid there was a simple “contemporary”
song that we would sometimes sing in church, “Lord of the Dance.” The chorus sang,
“Dance then wherever you may be.
I am the Lord of the dance said he.
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may
be
And I’ll lead you all in the dance said
he.”
Take in a deep breath of the divinely thick air that God gives us to
breath, and see if you don’t find yourself surging with power to dance!
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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