Dancing Day

Dec 24th  |  The Reverend Kevin Scott Fleming |  Luke 2:1-20

On Christmas night, so long ago,

When shepherds from their flocks did go

To Bethlehem town, of David’s line,

To seek and search for the given sign:

A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes,

And nestled in a manger low –

 

How did they go?  Did they walk or run

To see the Child, God’s only Son?

Did they skip, or hop, or perhaps, perchance,

Did the shepherds trot, gavotte, or dance?

 

On that starry, holy, angel night

When came great news of such delight,

How could they walk or plod along,

When they had heard the angels’ song

Of ”peace on earth, goodwill to all,

The favor of our God now falls,

on rich and poor, on one and all.” 

 

Could any walk at turtle’s pace,

To seek the infant’s holy face?

Could any mosey, creep, or shrink –

No, they could not – I have to think –

A hop, a skip, a jump, or prance -

For Christmas joy deserves a dance.

 

For some, the dance becomes a waltz

In three-quarter time,

Where feet neatly fall

In patterns of long-short-short,

Long-short-short, long

The dance is quite proper, quite finished, quite strong.

To “Si-a-lent Night” or “The First Noel,”

The dancers are twirling

And swirling quite well.

The Trinity’s time is counted in three,

And some say a waltz is what Christmas should be.

 

For others, a tarantella’s the choice,

For dancing the birth of Bethlehem’s boy.

It’s counted in six, a live-a-ly count,

That only the bravest dare to surmount.

You’ll spin and spin till you think you might drop,

You’ll scurry and jump and circle and hop.

“Good Christian Friends” and “Midnight Clear”

Are the 6/8 carols you’re likely to hear,

So, like a spider, who wiggles askance,

For some, a tarantella’s the dance.

 

For some there is no other dance,

Than a polka dance, where all can prance.

From Poland, Latvia, and Russia, too,

The polka starts popping and is counted in two.

Smetna and Strauss and others were led,

To write down the polka dots stuck in their heads.

If Wenceslas were around today,

A polka is what he would have them play.

So tie up your shoes and head for the floor,

For a polka is one dance we can all adore.

 

For some the mood could be rather dark,

For the Savior’s birth they could embark,

On a tango – a dance that is counted in four,

Where passion and romance play out on the floor.

It would be a strange choice, to herald the birth,

Of the Savior from heaven sent down to the earth.

But “Joy to the World” and “On This Day,”

Could be spiced up and set as a tango to play.

So, if you are fiery, be led not astray,

Some tangos could fill up your dance card this day.

 

For others, the dance must be a ballet,

Where beautiful dancers all dip and sway.

They rise on their toes to greet the day’s joy –

The news of the birth of Bethlehem’s boy.

Échappé, arabesque, and a Grand jeté,

Can be used to dance forth this Christmas day.

Not all should try it, it takes lessons and time,

But, when mastered, the ballet is oh so sublime.

For a tune, “Away in the Manger” would do,

If the ballet’s a dance within your milieu.

 

The carols that we sing this night,

Were once all dances of delight.

The carolers would form a ring,

And then they all would dance and sing.

The sound would echo through skies,

And rise to heaven’s paradise.

 

The joy of Christmas was so profound,

It could not be contained by sound.

It needed motion, action, verve,

To share the joy the news deserved –

The news of joy – the news of mirth –

The news of our dear Savior’s birth.

 

So, how is it we’ve come to drone,

And intone these songs ‘til their joy has flown?

How is it that we stand rock-still,

when we sing these songs that should still thrill?

 

The songs of Christmas more than all,

Should bring forth joy and fill this hall,

With laughter, happiness, and delight,

Enough to fill this Christmas night.

 

And though we “chosen frozen” stand,

with hymnbooks perched within our hands,

It would not be a sin to show,

A little joy with tapping toe.

 

And should the Spirit your fears allay,

You might find yourself begin to sway,

Your feet might shuffle, your knees might bob,

The joy within your voice might throb.

 

For the joy of Christmas is greatly enhanced,

When the people of God consider the dance.

 

So our sermon is ended, our rhyme is all done,

But not the joy and not the fun,

For tomorrow shall be our dancing day,

A day when all gloom is locked away.

For the Lord of the Dance to us is born,

And the dance began on Christmas morn,

It’s a dance you can dance in 4, 6, or 3,

It’s a dance that goes on through eternity.

 

So, lighten up, friends, and let your joy show,

Let the meters and rhythms through your whole being flow,

And find you a partner, and head for the floor,

And dance it for now and for evermore.