Dancing for God
Let them praise His name with dancing
-Psalm 149

We’ve been busy integrating liturgical dance into many aspects of our life here at First Church. Children of all ages are dancing for God! We’ve done this through the Advent Workshop, Vacation Bible School and church school. We also have a liturgical dance group here at First Church. Girls from ages seven to thirteen spend time after church on Sundays learning dances to Christian music.

Liturgical dance is an invitational art. It invites dancers to respond to God with their whole being; it helps dancers move beyond verbal expressions to a fuller experience and expression of their relationship with God. The dancers are reminded that, unlike their dance classes, liturgical dance is not about the performance. It is about using their gift of dance to glorify God. The dancers are inviting the congregation to join in the worship experience through their God-given gift of dance. It is another way to open the hearts and minds of worshippers to hear God’s word and the comfort of God’s presence.

We see in the Bible that dancing before God was an experience of both revelation and response. Dancing was a way to express love, praise, thanksgiving, mystery and even fear. Scripture records Miriam’s dance of thanksgiving before the Israelites as they were delivered at the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 1:20-21), and David’s dance of the ecstasy before the Arc (II Samuel 6:14). The Psalms, written to accompany acts of worship in the temple, offer many examples of dance and liturgical movement. To dance was to praise God with the fullest expression of joy!

Liturgical dance is finding its way back into the church and dancers of all ages are participating because of the fellowship and sense of community it provides. Our group has the opportunity to spend time together and learn about each other. During rehearsals, we stress what an awesome opportunity it is for them to be leading worship with their dancing. As the girls grow older, not only will they share their gift of dance with the congregation, they will share the beauty of learning to love and support their sisters in Christ through being a part of this special group.