| The church must learn to dance Some recent events, only days apart, have me thinking. When the Rev. John Rudisill Jr. was installed as the new superintendent of the Cumberland-Hagerstown District last month, he preached a sermon titled, A Life Without Risk. In that sermon, he mentioned the idea that we United Methodists need to fail more often. In fact, he told the church leaders gathered at Grace UMC in Hagerstown that a church thats NOT failing is a church thats not trying enough. His words: I expect you to take risks. I want you to try things that are unbelievable. His call to take risks doesnt mean risky behavior; thats another topic for another column. Nor was it a call to unconsidered behavior, he said. Rather, it was a call to encourage and challenge one another to reach out to the people in our communities and neighborhoods who dont know Jesus Christ, he said. We must learn to dance, we must learn to shout, we must learn to celebrate, Rudisill preached. We have to drown out the atrocities of the world. And then, as if mere words were not enough, the newly minted superintendent and Bishop May started dancing. Through the aisles, holding hands, adding members of the congregation in fits and starts, snaking their way through the congregation, they danced. Some people joined in. Most, I observed, just stood there. Maybe they didnt feel like dancing, especially in the wake of Hurricane Isabel, which had struck 72 hours earlier. This is the second event, although it really happened first. Isabel paid this area a very unwelcome visit, knocking out power, flooding homes and streets, and generally making life miserable for thousands of people. United Methodists across this conference and up and down the mid-Atlantic, pitched in to start the clean up while the winds of Isabel were exiting stage left (see our coverage, starting on page 1). Bishop May toured some of the areas hardest hit, assuring people of the churchs care and ability to help them in this hour of crisis. The United Methodist Committee on Relief, our own conference Early Response Team and countless other people have been busy giving aid and comfort to those in need. Through it all, I have heard from many United Methodists, and every one, to a person, has expressed thanksgiving to God for the blessings given them in this storm. Blessings? Yes. Yes, they were damaged and flooded and for some it will take months to recover, but you know what, they said? It could have been worse. More people could have died. More homes could have been flooded. Our own conference council director, the Rev. Donald Stewart, had a keen observation when he toured the West River Retreat Center south of Annapolis after the storm. The waters of the bay came over their banks, threatening to reach the dining hall. Just as the waters reached the foot of the cross where it stands outside, they stopped. And Bishop May reminded us just hours after the storm that it is our calling to help others, regardless of who they are; we need to reach out to others. On the heels of all this I came across an item in the Sept. 24 Washington Post. The story noted that the Vatican is making noise about eliminating girls from being altar servers, except in emergency situations, and prohibiting dances and applause during the mass. What? No dancing? No applause? Absolutely Puritanical. And you know what a Puritan is, dont you? A Puritan is someone, somewhere, who is deathly afraid that someone, somewhere, is having fun. God forbid that we should have fun in worship, right? A cartoon in the same week gets to the point. It showed God, sitting on a talk-show couch, the host looking very Jay Leno-like. Titled, God Does the Talk Show Circuit, it has God saying, I think my best creation was the sense of humor. The irony, of course, is that the people who claim to believe in me the most are the ones least likely to have one In other words, if youre a Christian and have the joy of Jesus down in your heart, why dont you let your face know it? Im still shaking my head over the idea that any denomination could legislate the fun and joy out of worshipping God. Next thing you know, theyll be mandating the idea of using dead, pasteurized grape juice during communion instead of living wine. Oh. Wait. We United Methodists already do that. Ahem No dancing? No applause? Rudisills consecration service had both and both occurred more than once, and for that, I say Thank God. We need more joy, more celebration, more dancing, more applause, more Amens! in our worship. God knows that many of our worship services are dry as burnt toast and as dead as the Orioles chances of winning the World Series. At least with clapping and dancing, you know someone out there is alive. To be fair, the Post article was quick to point out that these proposals havent been formally presented to Pope John Paul II yet. A Vatican official is even quoted as saying, We caution against jumping to conclusions. That is, until jumping is prohibited, too. | 
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