10/6/11 "Dance of God," the final chapter in Timothy Keller's book, The REASON for GOD: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, caught my eye for a very obvious reason----Dance. Having begun my "dance with the Lord" in new ways with my '09 cancer diagnosis, I was drawn to read what a scholar had to say about what has been "my" way of experiencing trust and intimacy with the Almighty God as He leads me in "our" dance---the one chosen just for me.
Keller sums up God's dance in several steps. Step one included understanding God's own personal dance, "The Divine Dance" as he explains the doctrine of the Trinity. Starting with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit glorifying one another, he stresses that such a "divine dance creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and love." Perichoresis is the Greek word for this (think choreography) "meaning literally to dance or flow around." (Keller, p. 215)
Whereas self-centeredness is static and demands that others orbit around us, the inner life of the triune God is utterly different as it is characterized by self-giving love. (Keller, p. 214) The first few pages had so much food for THOT, I'm still digesting it.
But God....has me realizing that the "dance" starts and ends with God and when I join Him in the dance, He can teach me to delight and serve others and center on their desires and interests. I know that I'll have to stay in the "closed" dance position with Him in order for Him to have complete access to my ear so that He can continue to teach me these truths.
