John 5:1-9
Sermon: Jesus asks, “Can You Fancy Dance?”
In today’s reading, Jesus saw a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years; he spent his days lying near a healing pool, called Beth-zatha. He had been there a long time, yet he never had a chance to actually get into the pool. And there were many like him. Verse 3, “In these lay many invalids - blind, lame and paralyzed.” Then in the story, Jesus recognized the one man, long since neglected, uncared-for, abandoned, and asked, “Do you want to be made well?” This question is important, because no one had cared to ask if he would want to be made well. That’s how social neglect works: people in general didn’t see enough value in the man to care enough to ask if he wanted to be better, healed and included.
Two weeks ago, some of us, Ruth Campbell being our Elder Sister, had a very lovely dinner and conversation with some great folks, the members of the Raymond Flett Memorial United Church congregation: Lucinda Keno - Board Chair - , Donna Kennedy and her sister, Tinis, and Lorraine Kakegamic and her daughter, Veronica, who are also our members, sitting all together around two round tables. We talked about a lot of different things; it was very pleasant. I particularly enjoyed each one’s sharing about the music they grew up with and what music they liked most. You could hear the bands’ and singers’ names from those popular in the 60’s (examples) to the 90’s (examples). After the dinner ended, I joined Donna’s group at another table and began to engage them in more serious talk, like how the recent nation-wide restructuring of the United Church had been, to many Indigenous Churches and people, “backwards reconciliation.” How this could re-traumatize Indigenous folks, reminding them of the “assimilation process”.
I asked Donna, explaining that I am on GC executive and will go the Region Gathering, what voices and hopes she would want me to bring to the wider church. Then, Donna wanted to show me a video clip which she watched and was deeply moved by. It was a music video someone made based on a beautiful and sad song, “He Can Fancy Dance”. (LINK) The song and the images provoke in us an important question and a reason for why we should keep asking and hoping for healing of the all nations.
While preparing for this reflection, I couldn’t help but remembering the many people I’ve seen who were lying on the sidewalk, "On a concrete corner all alone", homeless, and sometimes as if they were dead, in Vancouver. Not one of the people who were busy walking and passing by them really showed they cared for them, and I myself didn’t have the time or will to do it, with my fast walking, carrying my young child on my back or in my arms. As you all know well, it is not a personal issue whether we, individually, would take the time to be kind to each of these people. We care, but individually, the need we see seems overwhelming. It is an issue of faith for the people, God’s people. It is a question of faith like the one Jesus asked the sick man, “Do you want to be made well?”. It is a matter of our intention and our interest in learning more about our lives and the lives of these others, and how we are connected. It is a collective faith issue, asking whether we really want a future of ultimate reconciliation, where we would see, in all people, the indwelling spirit of God in charge, resurrecting people’s lives.
So, here it goes - “He Can Fancy Dance” Link
HE CAN FANCY DANCE
It was the day the black robe came into his land
They said we will teach your children right from wrong
And they took him from his mother’s hand, he was gone
He could not fancy dance he could not sing
He was told it was a sin
But sometimes he would fly out on the eagle’s wing in his mind
Robbed of his spirit and his pride
He was told his people were undignified
He could not speak the language of his land
How could a man like that survive
Now he drinks whiskey and hangs out in bars
He says this fire water can do me no harm
Can’t you see he lost his soul years ago
His losing the fight again
Does this war ever really end
You know all he wanted was to be your friend
He’s losing the fight again
On a concrete corner all alone
He whispered mighty spirit can you take me home
Take me back to when I was a little child
And he bowed his worried head and closed his lonely eyes
Now he can fancy dance and he can sing
And you can sing him fly out on the eagle’s wing
And if you listen close enough you can hear him
His every breath is in the wind
he can fancy dance and he can sing
And you can sing him fly out on the eagle’s wing
And if you listen close enough you can hear him sing
His every breath is in the wind
His every breath is in the wind
Now he can fancy dance and he can sing
The faith which we should learn from Jesus in today’s story is really just faith in the Holy Spirit, faith in the Indwelling Spirit who works in all people, bringing the collective future of just peace, fulfilled love and truth and reconciliation. Jesus’ question to the sick man: "Do you want to be made well?” is the singer Cindy Paul’s question too: “Do you want to fancy dance? Do you want to sing?” The sick man in the story answers, “I want to fancy dance. I want to sing. Yet, I have no one put me into the mighty spirit when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me. Robbed of my spirit and pride, I was told my people were undignified.”
This week, how will you fancy dance with your people? That’s a question for all of us. The Holy Spirit, the Indwelling Spirit, is in every breath we breathe, every step we make, every word we say, every moment when we say or don’t say any word… And the way we will fancy dance is also a question for the future. The Holy Spirit never gives up on us. "Scripture’s arc reveals the salvation of history and all creation, and not merely of individuals. Divine covenants are with the people collectively - the “house” and the future." (Jürgen Moltmann).
The Holy Spirit is sent to the entire universe and since creation has been transforming [the universe], carrying it toward the final resurrection… The same Spirit renews humanity. . . This new humanity must move all nations, each in accordance with its diversity. (José Comblin)
The Spirit of God is no respecter of social distinctions; it puts an end to them. Jesus’ healing ministry, the work of the Holy Spirit, the “Fancy Dance”, of which the primary work is to provoke, stir and inspire the already present Indwelling Spirit in all people, becomes a “Danger to patriarchy, the men’s church (White church), and the slave-owners.” (Jürgen Moltmann, again)
May the mighty spirit in all creation lead us to the miracle of fancy dance and make us well. Truly well.
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