Dancing with the Stars
May 18, 2025 Fifth Sunday of Easter
Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church
Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6
“Dancing with the Stars”
Anne Peacock
The prophet John, author of Revelation, knew that “God is not a God far-off, God is here; God is present; God is with us.” John communicated his message in a letter meant to be read aloud as 1st century Christians gathered for worship. The earlier chapters, depicting darkness and despair, do not signify the end of the world, but the end of the world as we know it. God’s new heaven and new earth is full of hope, love, peace, and joy! John’s word-painting does not try to answer questions for the future but is meant to be received for the here and now. The word revelation means “to reveal divine truth.” As I read our scripture passage, what word or phrase shimmers, and what might God be revealing to you in this moment?
A Reading from Revelation, chapter 21, verses 1-6
Let us hear the Word of the Lord…
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.
Let us pray…May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you, O Lord, and may we open ourselves to seeing and hearing your voice through word, song, beauty, and prayer. Amen.
My son Andrew is getting married next month, and we finally settled on the song for our dance. My dances these days are the prayerful movements of Qigong, which combines gentle physical postures with prayer to help heal our body, mind, and spirit. Andrew and I agreed that we will likely NOT include Qigong dance moves at the wedding. I have not studied how to dance, but I know how important it is to learn the foundation of a discipline – practicing music, for example, or a sport. Once it is known, one’s mind doesn’t work as hard in the same way – aligned with God’s rhythm and will for our lives. Dancing with God.
In Psalm 148, read earlier by Liz, all of creation joins in the joyful praise of the Lord, for that is our purpose. God’s creation and all creatures praise in their being and doing what they were created to be and do. In Hebrew, the word joy literally means “to become excited to the point of dancing in a whirlwind.” The entire universe is made up of dancing particles praising God with joy!
There is something special about the relationship between dancing particles, movement and prayer. Our bodies participate as vessels of the Holy Spirit and this rhythm becomes a holy dance.
What does “dancing for joy” look like to you? Maybe stars twinkling or leaves dancing with the wind? Flowers swaying, droplets of water bouncing, children skipping, or possibly baby animals leaping?
My dance for joy includes the prayerful gestures of Qigong. The movement most appropriate for today is called “Heaven and Earth.” Join me if you wish! (demo)
We must first be open to receiving God’s love. When heaven comes down to earth, heaven and earth “kiss” for a moment.
As Sue Monk Kidd says, “God’s presence enters your heart and beats inside it.”
The vision that John describes for us in these verses from Revelation sounds like what some might call a “thin place,” where the veil between heaven and earth is very thin and God dwells in our heart – heaven on earth. God dwells with us already. Yet we wait for the time when the tears that cloud our vision will be wiped away. Then we will see the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem. A new way of life enabling us to live full of hope and peace, infused with the love of God and a joy that inspires us, along with all creation, to dance.
The “thin” moments of experiencing glimpses of the divine can happen anywhere at any time. We never know when heaven and earth might touch, so we must keep our ears and eyes open.
Eric Weiner says, If God is everywhere, then why are some places thin and others not? Why isn’t the whole world thin? Maybe it is but we’re too thick to recognize it. Maybe thin places offer glimpses not of heaven but of earth as it really is, unencumbered. Unmasked.
Who are you, unmasked? What would your dance with God look like if you allowed God to lead?
Let me tell you about an experience of a thin place… in the midst of a drumbeat. The first time she walked into my office for spiritual guidance, tears were flowing. I listened to her story, a story full of grief, pain, and suffering. Then we sat in silence. The Holy Spirit spoke in our silence, and over the coming months continued to reveal guidance and messages of comfort and healing.
A year later she entered my office full of anger and resentment toward God. This is a woman of deep faith who practices prayer and meditation regularly. She asked me, “Why haven’t my prayers been answered?” I asked, “What is your prayer?” Her prayer to God was, “Tell me why! Tell me what you want of me!”
This time, rather than sit together in silence with the Spirit, I walked down the hallway and brought back two drums. Then we drummed her prayer together; repeating over and over “Tell me why, tell me why….” Suddenly her face lit up and with surprised joy she said, “I know what to do!”
This woman, consistently caring for others yet suffering herself, received a message giving her permission to experience joy. She told me, “I used to love to dance! I have to dance again!” God spoke through the rhythm of the drum, calling her back to her dance! Through the steady, repetitive beat, God’s presence felt closer, her prayer was embodied, and her joy revealed.
As Jacob reads the verses again from Revelation, ask yourself, “What is the rhythm of my prayer?” During the reading, a steady drumbeat will symbolize God’s steadfast presence. After the reading, you are invited to join in and add your own rhythm . After two minutes, I will chime my singing bowl to gradually end this time of drumming our prayers.
In the 500-year-old Japanese art of Kintsugi, which loosely translates as “joining with gold,” broken pottery is repaired with a seam of lacquer and precious metal. Kintsugi beautifies the breakage and transforms the object into something even more precious than it was before. If you have a broken ceramic mug or bowl, hold onto it! Next year we will participate in this transformative art of Kintsugi during our Arts and Faith weekend! Through the scars and pain of our lives, John’s vision of a new heaven and a new earth can give us restoration and hope.
A special friend, grieving over layers of loss, brought me a gift this past Christmas. As she approached the door, the gift dropped, and the pottery vessel inside broke. Embarrassed, she immediately said, “Oh no! I’ll get you a new one!” I said, “No, I want to keep this one.” Her gift sits in my office, reminding me of my friend’s brokenness as well as the broken places I hold within myself. I pray that she might experience healing, renewal and peace.
Henri Nouwen said, Any dance of celebration must weave both the sorrows and the blessings into a joyful step...To heal is to let the Holy Spirit call us to dance, to believe again, even amid our pain, that God will orchestrate and guide our lives.
The visions from God described in John’s Revelation, are full of symbolism difficult to interpret and impossible to completely understand. His letter is a vision of hope for the world. Van Gogh, after having painted his famous Starry Night (the painting on our bulletin cover), confessed to a "tremendous need for religion—so he went outside at night to paint the stars." Van Gogh struggled with mental illness and at the same time said, "Hope is in the stars." This painting seems to me to be his expression of his dance with the stars.
In John’s picture of the new heaven and new earth, there are still glimpses of the dark clouds from previous chapters. In these exquisite floral arrangements, entitled “Darkness to Light,” the artist uses various flowers from her garden to symbolize the scripture. A description is detailed in the bulletin, but Solomon’s Seal is chosen to signify reaching for the heavens. The Cyprus tree represents death in Mediterranean countries, yet Van Gogh longed for the light in his paintings as well as in his life. Van Gogh’s tree shooting up into the sky, is like an obelisk linking heaven and earth. It is God who comes to us, who brings heaven to earth, who embodies love eternal here and now and always!
Heaven is wherever God dwells. Dwelling is the same root as the Hebrew word, Shekinah, meaning, “God’s presence”; the blessed have the light of God (the Shekinah). Philo expresses this belief as he said: “… in heaven all moves in most radiant light; heaven is light itself; heaven is an eternal day and around it shine without ceasing unquenchable beams of light.” The darkness allows the radiant light to shine even more brightly.
Like dancing particles praising God with joy, Van Gogh’s art is filled with color and is alive with movement. Actor Willem Dafoe was transformed after portraying Van Gogh in the film “At Eternity’s Gate.” Immersed in the colors, sounds, and smells of the environment where Van Gogh lived, and learning to paint in his unique style, Dafoe said, “These experiences changed how I see - not just painting, but how I see things in life.” Julian Schnabel, Director of the same film, said Van Gogh achieved what he wanted to do – Van Gogh is his paintings, and his paintings are still conversing with us.” Van Gogh’s paintings are his dance.
This little drum has a story which Linda Sylvanovich recently shared with me. It used to belong to her grandson Colson, who loved to play it when he visited her home. Colson was born with a condition that prevented him from participating in many childhood activities, and he died at the age of 18. Over the years, Linda opened her drawer, pulled out the drum and played it. The drumbeat and the photos of her beloved Colson continue to converse with Linda; transforming her sadness into joy.
God converses with us through creation and God’s love beats within our hearts; vibrating throughout all. How might we be transformed if we immerse ourselves in God…seeing and hearing with new eyes and new ears? Listening for the heartbeat of God and allowing it to change us.
John’s written revelations – these are his word-paintings, these lovely floral creations – floral paintings, and Van Gogh’s paintings, all of them full of symbolism, give us a new way of seeing God; unique “paintings” of their interpretations of truth.
It seems to me that John is trying to communicate his rhythm and dance with the Spirit – through the visions given to him by God. Through John’s story, God speaks to each of us, communicating its own message in the mind and imagination of the reader and the listener; inviting us into our own dance with God.
Lift up your hearts and dance for joy, for God is here!
Benediction:
Go out into the world, inviting God to create a home in your heart. Dance!
Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church
Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6
“Dancing with the Stars”
Anne Peacock
The prophet John, author of Revelation, knew that “God is not a God far-off, God is here; God is present; God is with us.” John communicated his message in a letter meant to be read aloud as 1st century Christians gathered for worship. The earlier chapters, depicting darkness and despair, do not signify the end of the world, but the end of the world as we know it. God’s new heaven and new earth is full of hope, love, peace, and joy! John’s word-painting does not try to answer questions for the future but is meant to be received for the here and now. The word revelation means “to reveal divine truth.” As I read our scripture passage, what word or phrase shimmers, and what might God be revealing to you in this moment?
A Reading from Revelation, chapter 21, verses 1-6
Let us hear the Word of the Lord…
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.
Let us pray…May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you, O Lord, and may we open ourselves to seeing and hearing your voice through word, song, beauty, and prayer. Amen.
My son Andrew is getting married next month, and we finally settled on the song for our dance. My dances these days are the prayerful movements of Qigong, which combines gentle physical postures with prayer to help heal our body, mind, and spirit. Andrew and I agreed that we will likely NOT include Qigong dance moves at the wedding. I have not studied how to dance, but I know how important it is to learn the foundation of a discipline – practicing music, for example, or a sport. Once it is known, one’s mind doesn’t work as hard in the same way – aligned with God’s rhythm and will for our lives. Dancing with God.
In Psalm 148, read earlier by Liz, all of creation joins in the joyful praise of the Lord, for that is our purpose. God’s creation and all creatures praise in their being and doing what they were created to be and do. In Hebrew, the word joy literally means “to become excited to the point of dancing in a whirlwind.” The entire universe is made up of dancing particles praising God with joy!
There is something special about the relationship between dancing particles, movement and prayer. Our bodies participate as vessels of the Holy Spirit and this rhythm becomes a holy dance.
What does “dancing for joy” look like to you? Maybe stars twinkling or leaves dancing with the wind? Flowers swaying, droplets of water bouncing, children skipping, or possibly baby animals leaping?
My dance for joy includes the prayerful gestures of Qigong. The movement most appropriate for today is called “Heaven and Earth.” Join me if you wish! (demo)
We must first be open to receiving God’s love. When heaven comes down to earth, heaven and earth “kiss” for a moment.
As Sue Monk Kidd says, “God’s presence enters your heart and beats inside it.”
The vision that John describes for us in these verses from Revelation sounds like what some might call a “thin place,” where the veil between heaven and earth is very thin and God dwells in our heart – heaven on earth. God dwells with us already. Yet we wait for the time when the tears that cloud our vision will be wiped away. Then we will see the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem. A new way of life enabling us to live full of hope and peace, infused with the love of God and a joy that inspires us, along with all creation, to dance.
The “thin” moments of experiencing glimpses of the divine can happen anywhere at any time. We never know when heaven and earth might touch, so we must keep our ears and eyes open.
Eric Weiner says, If God is everywhere, then why are some places thin and others not? Why isn’t the whole world thin? Maybe it is but we’re too thick to recognize it. Maybe thin places offer glimpses not of heaven but of earth as it really is, unencumbered. Unmasked.
Who are you, unmasked? What would your dance with God look like if you allowed God to lead?
Let me tell you about an experience of a thin place… in the midst of a drumbeat. The first time she walked into my office for spiritual guidance, tears were flowing. I listened to her story, a story full of grief, pain, and suffering. Then we sat in silence. The Holy Spirit spoke in our silence, and over the coming months continued to reveal guidance and messages of comfort and healing.
A year later she entered my office full of anger and resentment toward God. This is a woman of deep faith who practices prayer and meditation regularly. She asked me, “Why haven’t my prayers been answered?” I asked, “What is your prayer?” Her prayer to God was, “Tell me why! Tell me what you want of me!”
This time, rather than sit together in silence with the Spirit, I walked down the hallway and brought back two drums. Then we drummed her prayer together; repeating over and over “Tell me why, tell me why….” Suddenly her face lit up and with surprised joy she said, “I know what to do!”
This woman, consistently caring for others yet suffering herself, received a message giving her permission to experience joy. She told me, “I used to love to dance! I have to dance again!” God spoke through the rhythm of the drum, calling her back to her dance! Through the steady, repetitive beat, God’s presence felt closer, her prayer was embodied, and her joy revealed.
As Jacob reads the verses again from Revelation, ask yourself, “What is the rhythm of my prayer?” During the reading, a steady drumbeat will symbolize God’s steadfast presence. After the reading, you are invited to join in and add your own rhythm . After two minutes, I will chime my singing bowl to gradually end this time of drumming our prayers.
In the 500-year-old Japanese art of Kintsugi, which loosely translates as “joining with gold,” broken pottery is repaired with a seam of lacquer and precious metal. Kintsugi beautifies the breakage and transforms the object into something even more precious than it was before. If you have a broken ceramic mug or bowl, hold onto it! Next year we will participate in this transformative art of Kintsugi during our Arts and Faith weekend! Through the scars and pain of our lives, John’s vision of a new heaven and a new earth can give us restoration and hope.
A special friend, grieving over layers of loss, brought me a gift this past Christmas. As she approached the door, the gift dropped, and the pottery vessel inside broke. Embarrassed, she immediately said, “Oh no! I’ll get you a new one!” I said, “No, I want to keep this one.” Her gift sits in my office, reminding me of my friend’s brokenness as well as the broken places I hold within myself. I pray that she might experience healing, renewal and peace.
Henri Nouwen said, Any dance of celebration must weave both the sorrows and the blessings into a joyful step...To heal is to let the Holy Spirit call us to dance, to believe again, even amid our pain, that God will orchestrate and guide our lives.
The visions from God described in John’s Revelation, are full of symbolism difficult to interpret and impossible to completely understand. His letter is a vision of hope for the world. Van Gogh, after having painted his famous Starry Night (the painting on our bulletin cover), confessed to a "tremendous need for religion—so he went outside at night to paint the stars." Van Gogh struggled with mental illness and at the same time said, "Hope is in the stars." This painting seems to me to be his expression of his dance with the stars.
In John’s picture of the new heaven and new earth, there are still glimpses of the dark clouds from previous chapters. In these exquisite floral arrangements, entitled “Darkness to Light,” the artist uses various flowers from her garden to symbolize the scripture. A description is detailed in the bulletin, but Solomon’s Seal is chosen to signify reaching for the heavens. The Cyprus tree represents death in Mediterranean countries, yet Van Gogh longed for the light in his paintings as well as in his life. Van Gogh’s tree shooting up into the sky, is like an obelisk linking heaven and earth. It is God who comes to us, who brings heaven to earth, who embodies love eternal here and now and always!
Heaven is wherever God dwells. Dwelling is the same root as the Hebrew word, Shekinah, meaning, “God’s presence”; the blessed have the light of God (the Shekinah). Philo expresses this belief as he said: “… in heaven all moves in most radiant light; heaven is light itself; heaven is an eternal day and around it shine without ceasing unquenchable beams of light.” The darkness allows the radiant light to shine even more brightly.
Like dancing particles praising God with joy, Van Gogh’s art is filled with color and is alive with movement. Actor Willem Dafoe was transformed after portraying Van Gogh in the film “At Eternity’s Gate.” Immersed in the colors, sounds, and smells of the environment where Van Gogh lived, and learning to paint in his unique style, Dafoe said, “These experiences changed how I see - not just painting, but how I see things in life.” Julian Schnabel, Director of the same film, said Van Gogh achieved what he wanted to do – Van Gogh is his paintings, and his paintings are still conversing with us.” Van Gogh’s paintings are his dance.
This little drum has a story which Linda Sylvanovich recently shared with me. It used to belong to her grandson Colson, who loved to play it when he visited her home. Colson was born with a condition that prevented him from participating in many childhood activities, and he died at the age of 18. Over the years, Linda opened her drawer, pulled out the drum and played it. The drumbeat and the photos of her beloved Colson continue to converse with Linda; transforming her sadness into joy.
God converses with us through creation and God’s love beats within our hearts; vibrating throughout all. How might we be transformed if we immerse ourselves in God…seeing and hearing with new eyes and new ears? Listening for the heartbeat of God and allowing it to change us.
John’s written revelations – these are his word-paintings, these lovely floral creations – floral paintings, and Van Gogh’s paintings, all of them full of symbolism, give us a new way of seeing God; unique “paintings” of their interpretations of truth.
It seems to me that John is trying to communicate his rhythm and dance with the Spirit – through the visions given to him by God. Through John’s story, God speaks to each of us, communicating its own message in the mind and imagination of the reader and the listener; inviting us into our own dance with God.
Lift up your hearts and dance for joy, for God is here!
Benediction:
Go out into the world, inviting God to create a home in your heart. Dance!
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