Category Archives: song

Shut up & Dance: REMIX

Songs can be remixed, sermons can too.  I originally prepared the Shut up and Dance message over a year ago for my home congregation, St. Michael.  The message today was done for my internship congregation, Holy Spirit, and features new personal narrative, new scripture passages (Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Acts 2: 1-8, 12-18), a new video, and a reworked open and close.  Either listen or read below.  Enjoy!

Family dance
Do you like to dance? Boy, I sure do. Many cherished memories during my past 41 years on this earth involve dancing through the most important moments of life.

When Kathi and I married 15 years ago, our first dance was to UB40s version of the song Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. You know that one, at least many of you should, it’s a classic. And apologies to the Elvis fans out there, Elvis recorded it first, tho UB40 recorded it best. We picked that song, Kathi and I, and that version, because that’s what was playing in the background during our first kiss, way back when, twenty one years ago, in the Spring of 1995. We were in a gazebo near college in Valparaiso Indiana, it had begun to rain ever so softly. As we leaned in for that first kiss that song echoed in our heads. Kathi and I wanted to bring that moment, and that song, with us into our first dance, and into our marriage for years to come. So far so good.

These days our favorite dance moments involve our kids. When you have a two-year old and a six year old, and they start to get crazy at home, doing all those things young kids can do like yelling, fighting over toys, basically running around with their heads cut off, putting on some music, and having a family dance, acts as a magic elixir to soothe the savage beasts that sometimes go by the name of Hannah and Graham. Within moments of putting on that first tune, all that youthful energy is focused and transformed, into joyful dance.

Hannah is a spinner most often, elegant and carefree, flowing to the music, sometimes with mom or dad, sometimes solo, moving with ease right alongside the music. Graham is more of a jumper, and a head banger, my guess is when he gets to college he’ll enjoy some hard rock, alternative rock or perhaps some heavy metal. And when he goes to concerts he may well hop into the mosh pit and join the fracas, just like his daddy did, back in the day.

For our entire family, music, and the dance it encourages, serves as a release, from our daily cares, from our anxious moments, into a place of motion, of peace, of life.

This concept of motion, and the life it brings is part of scripture from the very beginning. In the creation story found in Genesis 1, verse two, the Spirit of God moved over the waters, before God separated the darkness and the light. Other translations say it a little differently, that the Spirit of God hovered, swept over, or came like a mighty wind. In each, the takeaway is the same: motion precedes life.

Ezekiel’s Dance
The passage from Ezekiel 37, the story of bringing dry bones to life, is another one of those moments where motion precedes life. The translation we’re using today, the Message, says it like this:

“GOD grabbed me. GOD’s Spirit took me up and led me around a lot of bones! There were bones all over, bleached by the sun. God’s Spirit said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O GOD, only you know.” 4 The Spirit said to me, “Prophesy over these bones: ‘Dry bones, listen to the Message of GOD!’”

5-6 And then God told the dry bones, “Watch this: I’m bringing the breath of life to you and you’ll come to life. I’ll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You’ll come alive and you’ll realize that I am GOD!”

And that’s exactly what happens. Ezekiel prophesies over the bones and God moves, putting bone to bone, attaching bones with sinews, putting meat on those bones, covering it all with a new coat of skin. And then God’s Spirit breathes into those bones, bringing life out of death. Re-creating what had been horribly, horribly broken. Taking stillness and finality and moving it into a place of motion. Making it possible for God’s people to dance, once again.

“God grabbed me”, scripture says.  “God’s Spirit took me up and led me”. It almost reminds me of a middle school prom, with boys sheepishly on one side of the room, and girls on the other. And in the middle of all that awkwardness, hope and expectation, God’s Spirit grabs you, takes you, and leads you into the dance. Hold on to that thought, of being grabbed, and led by the Spirit, we’ll come back to that a bit later.

The Apostle’s Dance
Our text from Acts 2 is another one of those moments where the Spirit’s motion precedes life. Many of those gathered in the upper room that day had traveled, worshiped, served, performed miracles right alongside Jesus for three years. And then, over the course of six weeks, they experienced his death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. At that point Jesus was no longer with them, at least in bodily form.

Imagine what those gathered there that day might have been thinking. Where did he go? When will he return? What should we do now? If I were there I’d likely be afraid, not knowing what to do next.

Then, in the midst of all those unknowns, an amazing thing happened. A roar of wind entered the room, and flames of fire danced over each person, filling them with the Holy Spirit. Those gathered spoke in new languages, be they Jew or Roman or Greek, and were understood by everyone, regardless of their native tongue. When the Spirit moved that day it broke down the walls that divided them, and us: walls of language, of ethnicity, of nationality, of religious differences, and birthed the Christian church in its place.

The Holy Spirit was in motion that day, in a big way, taking these early Christ-followers from a place of uncertainty, and of fear, and moving them into joy, into motion. From there the apostles went out into the surrounding countryside, teaching people all Christ had taught them. The apostles were guided out into the world that day by the Spirit, to bring this new hope, new life, and new motion to all of creation. That same Spirit continues to move in our world today.

What amazes me about all of these Holy Spirit stories is how the Spirit shows up, in the most unexpected of places, in the most unexpected of ways. Before creation was even created, the Spirit was there, moving over the waters. In the midst of a valley of dry bones, the Spirit was there, breathing new life into what had been long since dead. In the upper room, among uncertainty and fear, the Spirit moved again, bringing with it joy, unity, and purpose.

In my own life, the Spirit moved, unexpectedly, last Spring, and it totally caught me off guard. I’d like to share a little bit about that experience, and what it now means to me.

Personal Dance
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Anyhow, there I was, driving to a chaplains meeting, and listening to the secular, FM radio. I remember hearing the song, Shut up and Dance, by the group Walk the Moon, starting to play. You may be familiar with this one as well; it was pretty much the most popular song out there last summer.

At the time of this personal epiphany I’d heard the song a few times before, and remembered liking it, but something in this particular moment struck me in a new way.
In this song I now heard the Holy Spirit, and understood a major depressive episode I’d had a few years ago, and saw it in a new light. The song hit me hard enough that I sat there, in the car, driving on the Turnpike, and was moved to tears.

It may sound strange, but I’d like to share with you what these lyrics now mean to me. To take this journey into new meaning I’d like you consider a Holy Spirit calling us away from our baggage, our brokenness and towards a new walk, or perhaps a dance, with the divine.
We’ll go through the lyrics line by line.

In this story the Holy Spirit is feminine. In Hebrew the word for spirit (ruach) is feminine. Some view the Spirit in masculine terms, or with no gender at all, and that’s just fine. But in this story, to fit with these song lyrics we’ll consider a feminine Holy Spirit. Song lyrics will also be shown on the screen to help you follow along.

The song begins (lyrics are in bold): Oh don’t you dare look back just keep your eyes on me. When hearing this I’m reminded of when I was agonizing over whether to keep my job in corporate America. At the time I was absolutely miserable, in a downward spiral of a depressive fog, and needed release. Don’t you dare look back the Spirit beckons, just keep your eyes on me, she says. We’re going somewhere new.

This conversation with the Holy Spirit continues: I said you’re holding back, She said shut up and dance with me! This is so typical. I want to follow Christ, I want to be led by the Spirit to new and exciting places, but my selfishness, my brokenness, well, it still takes the lead. Look, there I go again, trying to tell the Holy Spirit how to do her thing. It’s like when Jacob wrestles the angel to get his blessing. I want that blessing, but I want it my way. You’re holding back, I say to the Holy Spirit, give me that blessing! She corrects me, directly, yet elegantly, Shut up and dance! Shut up and dance with me!

The song moves from conversation to realization: This woman is my destiny, She said oh oh oh, Shut up and dance with me! We’re being led by the Holy Spirit. Not just to dance with the divine. But to leave our pride, our selfishness, our sense of control. To leave all that, to push it aside, and to dance, letting the Holy Spirit take the lead. That’s no easy thing, we’ll need frequent reminders to drop our perceived need for control. And to Shut up. To be at peace with following. To dance with the Spirit.

The lyrics then take me to another time of personal darkness:  We were victims of the night, the chemical, physical, kryptonite. Helpless to the bass and faded light. Have you ever found yourself a victim of the night, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep? Lying awake, not able to find the peace of a full night’s rest?

While in my dark fog of depression I sure had this problem. Sleep was elusive. I felt like a victim, suffering, and in mental anguish. I felt alone. But the Holy Spirit suggests otherwise. *We* were victims of the night, she says. WE. We are not alone.

The chemical and physical effects of depression are inescapable. Depression is commonly linked to low levels of serotonin, a chemical in the brain that regulates mood, memory, appetite and sleep. That’s pretty important stuff. Too little serotonin can’t help but have physical effects, like not being able to sleep. And withdrawing from friends and family. At the time this was my world.

The kryptonite reference is a curious one. Kryptonite is the radioactive element that takes away all of Superman’s powers, making him weak and vulnerable. This is not unlike the effects of depression, which for a time took away anything I’d call a semblance of life.
But that all sounds very dark and horrible; and there is more to the story than that. I’m reminded again that *we* were victims of the night. Me and the Holy Spirit. Having some all-nighters, hanging out together. Perhaps the chemical effects of depression, the effects that drew me away from certain things, were drawing me toward something new. Like this offer to dance.

The lyrics then find fate is in play: Oh we were born to get together, born to get together.  We are all born in a fallen, broken state. Separated from God from the beginning. Trying to find our way back into the Garden of Eden, back to relationship with our Creator. But how? Jesus paid that price, covering our brokenness and faulty nature, restoring us to newness of life. What now? We dance. We dance into the world around us with our new dance partner, the Holy Spirit. Why yes, it’s beginning to make some sense to me, we *were* born to get together, each of us, finding new life as we dance with the Spirit.

Perhaps this is the right time to begin, the song suggests: She took my arm, I don’t know how it happened. We took the floor.  Finally, the dance has begun! It’s the Spirit that reaches out, taking your arm, leading you into the world. Do you know how it happens? I can’t say that I do. I do know this: the more I let her lead, the more adventure there is. The more fulfilling life becomes.

The lyrics then offer a reminder: She said: Oh don’t you dare look back just keep your eyes on me, I said you’re holding back, She said shut up and dance with me!  My takeaway from her reminder? There will always, always, ALWAYS be that voice in your head that wants you to take the reins back. To take the lead. To ignore the Holy Spirit, and do things your way. But we know, each of us, what happens when we try and play God. Nothing overly good. Shut up, the Holy Spirit says. Dance with me!

The story then ends with a look ahead: Deep in her eyes, I think I see the future. I realize this is my last chance.  Dancing with the Spirit is a very intimate, personal thing. And when you do it, your future will change. You will see it differently. You will never be quite the same. And while I don’t think this is my last chance to dance with the Spirit it’s a good chance. And an opportunity I don’t plan to pass up.

You’ve heard stories from scripture, a few personal stories too, but what about you? What about you? To help you answer that question I’d like play a video that uses this song, Shut Up and Dance, in a super fun way. In it you’ll see 88 different dance scenes from various movies; you’ll likely recognize a lot of them. As you watch, and listen to the lyrics, meditate on what this dance with the Spirit may mean.

Closing
Do you like to dance?  Boy, the Holy Spirit sure does.  When she asks you to dance, to be her partner, will you stand up, and follow her to the dance floor?  And if you do, will you let her lead?  Shut up and dance, the Spirit whispers.  Dance with me.  Amen.

Keep Dancing

On Pentecost Sunday this Spring I gave a sermon, Shut up and Dance, which used the recent pop-rock hit of the same name as a way to understand the Holy Spirit.  The sermon message suggests the Holy Spirit is our divine dance partner, moving with us in lock step through the joys and sorrows of life.  Unfortunately who gets to lead in this divine dance often ends up as one big tug-o-war.  Our culture, more often than not, tells us we should take the lead.  You know the mantras.  Be independent.  Play to win.   Carpe diem.  There can be value in that.  It’s part of who we are as Americans.  For many our rugged individualism defines us.

But that’s not how the Holy Spirit works best.  As the song lyrics go, she asks us to “Shut up and Dance”.  To quiet ourselves enough to look and listen to the Spirit, to join in a dance that transcends our wants and desires. To partake in a dance that calls us to be part of so much more.  And not just to dance, but to let the Spirit take the lead.

shut-up-and-dance
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Ever since I gave this message the song – currently playing on FM, secular radio stations – pops up in the most amazing places.  One place was on the way to that first Sunday service three weeks ago to join the people of Holy Spirit Lutheran for my internship year.  Another was in the middle of a bit of a spat with my wife.  Earlier this week it was while driving to do home visits with members of the congregation not able to make it to our campus.

Each time the message was clear.  The song reminds me to let go of anxieties, fears, and my need for control. To be still, to shut up, and to listen to the Spirit.  And then to dance, letting the Spirit guide my ways.  May you find the Spirit at work in your life, dancing you away from fear and toward a life of joy, impact and higher purpose.  Amen.

Shut up and Dance

Today’s sermon celebrates Pentecost Sunday as seen through the lens of the song Shut Up and Dance With Me, by the group Walk The Moon.  Once you read or listen to the message fire up the Youtube music video, and see what your dance partner, the Holy Spirit, may be saying to you.   Enjoy!

Sermon audio:

Music video:

Sermon text:

Happy Pentecost Sunday!

Pentecost Sunday is the day we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other earlier followers of Jesus. Today is often referred to as “the birthday of the church.” Maybe we should get some cake and balloons for Pentecost next year, and celebrate that birthday in style during coffee hour.

The text from Acts picks up where the Gospels left off – right after Jesus was raised from the dead, after he’d spent 40 days walking alongside the twelve apostles and other early followers and then ascended into heaven.

Can you imagine what it must have felt like to those earlier followers to experience all that? And then suddenly realize that Jesus was no longer with them? Think about possible questions from the crowd. Where did he go? When will he be back? What should we do now?

Maybe these were the questions the apostles were looking to answer when meeting on that first Pentecost in the upper room. If I were there I think I’d be afraid, not knowing what was coming next.

And what was coming? Scripture refers to what happened in the upper room that day in many ways. Some translations call it the Holy Ghost, others call it the Holy Spirit. Even there we begin to get the sense that what came that day was sacred and otherworldly. What came is also described in Acts 2 as “as strong wind, gale force” and that the Holy Spirit “spread through their ranks, like a wildfire” So the Holy Spirit can be understood as an element like wind or fire, changing the world as it goes.

The understanding of the Spirit as fire is also why we wear red this day. To celebrate the Spirit coming to us in fire.

Other places in scripture refer to the Holy Spirt as Helping Us Along, as an Advocate, a Comforter, and a Friend.

So the Holy Spirit is many things.   My seminary professor, Louis Malcolm summarizes it nicely, saying:

“through the Spirit we are freed. Freed from being hooked by unjust and dysfunctional patterns within and around us.” She continues, noting “As the Spirit transforms us into Christ’s image, we no longer are beholden to any other interests but God’s purposes for us and for the world.”

I rather like that summary, and would perhaps add one thing. With the Holy Spirit you are never alone.

With that in mind here’s just one more way to consider the Holy Spirit. Perhaps the Holy Spirit could be considered your divine dance partner.

Dance Partner

This notion of a divine dance partner came to me a couple of months ago. It started normally enough while driving to a chaplains meeting, listening to the radio.

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I’d heard the song a few times before, and remembered liking it, but something in this particular moment struck me in a new way.

In this song I now heard the Holy Spirit, and understood a major depressive episode I experienced a few years back in a new light. The song hit me hard enough that I sat there, in the car, driving on the Turnpike, and was moved to tears.

It may sound strange, but I’d like to share what I heard. And to share what these lyrics now mean to me. To take this journey into new meaning I’d like you consider a Holy Spirit that is alive and well in 2015. A Holy Spirit calling us away from worldly pursuits and towards a life filled with the love of Christ.   Calling us to new life, to move, to dance with grace.

We’ll go through the lyrics line by line.

In this story the Holy Spirit is feminine. In Hebrew the word for spirit (ruach) which is feminine. Some view the Spirit in masculine terms, or with no gender at all. But in this story, to fit with the song lyrics we’ll consider a female Holy Spirit.

The song begins (lyrics are in bold)Oh don’t you dare look back just keep your eyes on me.  When hearing this I’m reminded of when I was agonizing over whether to keep my job in corporate America. At the time I was absolutely miserable, in a downward spiral of a depressive fog, and needed release. Don’t you dare look back the Spirit beckons, just keep your eyes on me, she says. We’re going somewhere new.

This conversation with the Holy Spirit continues: I said you’re holding back, She said shut up and dance with me!  This is so typical. I want to follow Christ, I want to be led by the Spirit to new and exciting places, but my selfishness, my brokenness still takes the lead. Look, there I go, trying to tell the Holy Spirit how to do her thing. It’s like when Jacob wrestles the angel to get his blessing. I want that blessing, but I want it my way. You’re holding back, I say to the Holy Spirit, give me that blessing! She corrects me, directly, yet elegantly, Shut up and dance! Shut up and dance with me! 

The song moves from conversation to realization: This woman is my destiny, She said oh oh oh, Shut up and dance with me!  We’re being led by the Holy Spirit. Not just to dance with the divine. But to leave our pride, our selfishness, our sense of control. To leave all that, to push it aside, and to dance, letting the Holy Spirit take the lead. That’s no easy thing, we’ll need frequent reminders to drop our perceived need for control. To Shut up. And to be at peace with following, to dance with the Spirit.

The lyrics then take me to another time of personal darkness: We were victims of the night, The chemical, physical, kryptonite Helpless to the bass and faded light. Have you ever found yourself a victim of the night, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep? Lying awake, not able to find the peace of a full night’s rest?

While in my dark fog of depression I sure had this problem. Sleep was elusive. I felt like a victim, suffering and in mental anguish. I felt alone. But the Holy Spirit suggests otherwise. *We* were victims of the night, she says. WE. We are not alone.

The chemical and physical effects of depression are inescapable. Depression is commonly linked to low levels of serotonin, a chemical in the brain that regulates mood, memory, appetite and sleep. That’s pretty important stuff. Too little serotonin can’t help but have physical effects, like not being able to sleep and withdrawing from friends and family. At the time this was my world.

The kryptonite reference is a curious one. Kryptonite is the radioactive element that takes away all of Superman’s powers, making him weak and vulnerable. This is not unlike the effects of depression, which for a time took away anything I’d call a semblance of life.

But that all sounds very dark and horrible; and there is more to the story than that. I’m reminded again that *we* were victims of the night. Me and the Holy Spirit. Having some all nighters, hanging out together. Perhaps the chemical effects of depression that drew me away from certain things, were drawing me toward something new. Like this offer to dance.

The lyrics then find fate is in play: Oh we were born to get together, born to get together. We are all born in a fallen, broken state. Separated from God from the beginning. Trying to find our way back into the Garden of Eden, back to relationship with our Creator. But how? Jesus paid that price, covering our brokenness and faulty nature, restoring us to newness of life. What now? We dance. We dance into the world around us with our new dance partner, the Holy Spirit. Why yes, it’s beginning to make some sense to me, we* were* born to get together, each of us, finding new life as we dance with the Spirit.

Perhaps this is the right time to begin, the song suggests: She took my arm, I don’t know how it happened. We took the floor Finally, the dance has begun! It’s the Spirit that reaches out, taking your arm, leading you into the world. Do you know how it happens? I can’t say that I do. I do know this: the more I let her lead, the more adventure there is. The more fulfilling life becomes.

The lyrics then offer a reminder: She said: Oh don’t you dare look back just keep your eyes on me, I said you’re holding back, She said shut up and dance with me! My takeaway from her reminder? There will always, always, ALWAYS be that voice in your head that wants you to take the reins back. To take the lead. To ignore the Holy Spirit and do things your way. But we know, each of us, what happens when we try and play God. Nothing overly good. Shut up, the Holy Spirit says. Dance with me!

The story then ends with a look ahead: Deep in her eyes, I think i see the future. I realize this is my last chance. Dancing with the Sprit is a very intimate, personal thing. And when you do it, your future will change. You will see it differently. You will never be quite the same. And while I don’t think this is my last chance to dance with the Spirit it’s a good chance. And an opportunity I don’t plan to pass up.

But that’s just one story, one person, one dance. What about you? Where have you seen the Spirit active in your life? The next time the Spirit comes and asks you to be her partner will you answer that call? If you do, will you let her lead? Shut up and dance, the Spirit reminds us. Dance with me.

shut up and dance

From Rage to Grace

Here’s a lil video done as a final class project for a Media & Religion course I took earlier this month.  The video is a retelling of Smashing Pumpkin’s 1995 hit Bullet with Butterfly Wings.  In a way this is also an extension of my Reformation Rage sermon.  The sermon narrative only explored part of the song lyrics, of rages and cages. This video works through the entire song, a work that already drips of spiritual longing all by itself.  Viewers take note: the video starts dark – that’s the rage – and evolves into a brighter place. Enjoy!

 

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Running in the Dark

For the past few months I’ve been running in the dark a few times a week, literally. To get my run on requires a 6am start. Running in the dark was born out of necessity; my wife leaves for work at 7am. Once the missus leaves it’s Daddy time, and the various parental todo’s of getting the 4 year-old daughter and 5 month-old son up and ready to head out the door kick in. Food. Clothes. Diapers. Milk. Cell phone. Car keys. That sort of thing.

The morning run is a fairly straight forward pursuit. It involves a path that looks like one big rectangle.  You begin, take four turns, and return back at the beginning.  For me that beginning is home.

running in the dark

After taking one of these four turns this morning I noticed something odd: the front gate on the house to the right was open. That gate is always closed. And behind that gate is always has a big dog barking. Crap. Better keep running. The next sign something was amiss was across the street. There was a house across the street.  There had never been a house across the street before, how did that pop up out of nowhere? Super strange.

The final wake-up call that I was in foreign territory was the song playing on my iPod. I’ve listened to the same 5k play list for years now. After a while you can track time, location and distance, at least to a certain extent, by what song in the 5k list is being played. In this case Linkin Park’s Bleed it Out was playing. That can’t be right. At this turn the play list should be two songs ahead, that’s when Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name normally starts.

crazy good song, and album
crazy good song, and album

Crap.

I’m Lost.

Decision time.
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Do I forge ahead in the dark and hope I can find my way back home? Or turn around and get back on the path? The problem with forging ahead was the unknown, not knowing if I’d passed the street our house was on. This detail would decide whether the next turn would be a left or a right. It would also determine whether I’d get even more lost, or be back on track.

There was also an element of time to consider. My wife needed to get out the door for her morning commute. I needed to get the kids ready to go and head to the church office. The clock was ticking.

Crap. Crap. CRAP.

Unsure of exactly where I was at, and unsure of what was ahead, I chose to turn around. It felt a little embarrassing. It probably hurt my pride a bit, I really should know our neighborhood better by now, right? Heck I’d run this same EXACT route several dozen times.  Later at home I apologized to my wife for being late and sheepishly explained about getting lost. She smiled, continued to get ready for work, and gave me a kiss goodbye a few minutes later. All was right in the world.

The experience, for as little a part of life as it was, got me thinking. When else had I taken a wrong turn before? How long had I taken to realize it? Had I decided to forge ahead – in the dark at times – or turned back to find my way? One example that came to mind was with my last career. I had taken a wrong turn toward following the values of corporate America. The farther along this path I got the more  lost I became. The darker things became.

The experience also got me thinking about the concept of home.  Home can be many things. For me home is family, friends, and a faith community.  When I get lost in life I turn away from each of these in various ways. The results typically suck. Depression. Isolation. Brokenness. Yuck.

What about you? What wrong turns have you taken in life? How did they turn out? Are you in the middle of a wrong turn now? Are you forging ahead, hoping to find your way in the dark, or considering turning back to a better path?  Does the path lead home?

TR02-The-Path-Home