“David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with song and lyres, and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.” “Leaping and dancing,” “with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet”—can you imagine worshipping God with such uninhibited exuberance and unfeigned delight? The crippled beggar at the Beautiful Gate of the temple in Jerusalem a thousand years later knew what that ecstatic joy felt like as he was healed by Peter and John. “Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.”(Acts 3:8)

Now two thousand years later, we have calmed down a bit in our rejoicing over the way God works in our lives. We Episcopalians, known for doing things “decently and in order,” might have liturgical dance in a worship service, but it will be calm and serene compared to David’s unrestrained performance. Even the most charismatic among us who might raise their hands and sway in praise are unlikely to be leaping and dancing in the aisles. Folks might be slain in the spirit during a healing service, but their response to that visitation seldom matches the healed cripple’s. Not that it couldn’t be, of course, but, knowing it would cause a stir, most of us sit (or stand or kneel) quietly no matter how moved we are by God’s presence in our lives. We tend to rejoice in our hearts, leaving our bodies at rest, when we experience God’s blessing come upon us. We might be bubbling over with excitement about how God has reached us and want to tell the world of our new found joy, but we censor ourselves. We filter our message, being careful about what we say, how we say it, and with whom we share so that we won’t be considered weird, beyond the pale.

Perhaps it is time for us, at least in the privacy of our own prayer space, to let go of the fetters of propriety and express our gratitude for, our joy and delight in God’s love with music, song, movement, and dance, in whatever way feels right for us, unencumbered by what people might think. If we have the courage to try it, I suspect God will be delighted at our acceptance of our freedom to express ourselves. I can imagine the Divine laughing and clapping in response to our “leaping and dancing” with joy.