this was an added dance not found in the book "Dancing with Jesus" that I had planned to use for the last Sunday of the series when we reaffirmed our baptismal vows. The scene in Joshua fit this scenario very well. I might have chosen another lesson instead of Romans 6:1-11, if I preached this sermon again. The Romans passage focuses on ultimate things; I was more interested in choosing this day who would be our dance partner, so to speak. If I did this again, I would at least switch the order of the Scripture lessons. I, of course, picked the Romans passage because of the "united with Christ" language. I said it once in the sermon, and have found myself thinking this way more often, that "united with Christ in his death and resurrection" might be better understood as "united with Christ in his life, death and resurrection." (a variation from Paul's letter that I think might be good).
“Dancing with Jesus: the Last Dance”; Joshua 24: 15-25; Romans 6: 1-11; August 27, 2023; SAPC, Denton; Dr. Richard B. Culp
What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Introduction: The last dance can be interpreted in several different ways, I suppose.
Last dance, as in this is the last week we have dance as one of the main elements of our worship service.
last dance could also reference our last dance in the context of life and death and lead us to focus on Paul’s letter when he reminds us that to be united with Christ in baptism is to be united with him in his death and resurrection.
But, this morning as we gather around our Lord’s Table and Reaffirm our baptisms, I invite you to put the last dance in the context of choosing the dance partner with whom you want to share the rest of your dances.
Move 1: There is a dance partner who looking for you.
a. AS Dr. Allen reminded us last week in her greeting from Austin Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Jose Irizarry, the new president, gave his first charge to the graduating students this year.
in his charge, he referenced a TED talk by philosopher Derek Sivers on “How to Start a Movement”
Sivers showed some video footage of young people attending an outdoor concert.
As the video starts, a lone individual is standing up and dancing. there is no sound with the video, so you just the the movements. Apparently, this person was not gifted with bodily grace so his movements were awkward and uncoordinated.
But there was joy in his movements.
He stood there before the crowd dancing as they sat and watched.
After a while, someone stepped up and began dancing with the first dancer. Actually, mimicking the somewhat awkward dance moves.
the dance of one became the dance of two.
and then, the dance grew as others stood and joined in the dance.
b. As I read this story, I had the image of Jesus Christ, coming to us in his humanity and living among us.
1. Showing us love and how to love.
2. Showing us how to be in right relationship with God and inviting us into the relationship by following him.
3. Jesus living, dying and being resurrected and declaring that in our baptism we are united wtih him in our life, death, and resurrection.
A dance partner for life and beyond, if you will.
As you choose your partner with whom to dance through life, Jesus is ever before you,
looking for you,
coming for you,
inviting you to dance with him.
Move 2: Sometimes, we need to remember who our dance partner is.
a. We read the passage from Joshua.
1. One of my favorite stories in the biblical text.
2. I suppose I love the drama of it - Joshua standing there before the people asking them to declare whom they choose that day.
3. More than just asking them whom they choose to serve, Joshua declares that he has made his choice to follow God.
then, he asks them to choose.
4. It is known as the covenant renewal.
5. A moment when God’s people need to declare for themselves and announce to the world that they choose to serve God.
6. I might also add that the God whom they choose has already chosen them.
b. I suspect this may no longer be the case, but back when I was going to dances in high school and college, the dance always ended with the lights being lower and a slow dance as the last dance.
In some ways, it clarified the evening - by the end of the dance you pretty well knew if your date thought this was a special moment, or if this was a 'we both wanted to come to the dance, but being with you is no more than that” kind of date.
the song we danced to during Time with you Disciples, was a song I danced to years ago as a last dance.
The words go like this:
Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?
Could you be my partner every night?
When we're together, it feels so right
Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?
Jesus Christ invites you to be his dance partner for the rest of your life.
Conclusion: Later in worship, we will reaffirm our baptisms.
1. It will serve as a reminder to those baptism that God has already claimed us as children of the covenant in the waters of baptism;
it will serve as an invitation to those who are not yet baptized that God is ever before us, calling us into relationship, inviting us to the waters of baptism.
2. As the summer comes to a close and we we move into the fall, it is a moment for us to reflect and lay claim to who we are and whose we are.
A moment in which each of us declares: I choose this day Jesus Christ as my dance partner for life.
Amen.
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