“In a world that seeks to divide us, drumming and dance are one way to bind us together as a community. When we drum or dance together, it is not about the individual, but about the group; a community with a common purpose. That singing and dancing are mentioned often in Scripture is no accident, and finding a way to bring these gifts back to worship is a rewarding challenge for the church today.”
—Jill Friend, “With Timbrels and Dancing,” © August 2017, ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA.
Last month I had the opportunity to take a weeklong World Music Drumming course taught in part by Sowah Mensah. Sowah’s native country is Ghana, but he has spent many years in the United States teaching and performing traditional West African music and dance. I was reminded of some of the wisdom he shared from his culture when I read an article this week in Christianity Today about EDM (electronic dance music) in the church.
Maundy Thursday (“Maundy” meaning “mandate” or “command”) remembers the time Jesus spent with his disciples in the upper room. It was there that Jesus gave the ultimate example of being a servant as he washed the disciples’ feet:
How does your congregation celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Is it a celebration, or is it a more somber, reflective experience? Do you take communion as a community, or is it more individualized? Maybe your answer is that it’s a little bit of everything, or maybe it depends on the time of year.
My home congregation celebrates the Lord’s Supper the same way about once a month. At certain times of year we may mix it up a little bit and go forward to the table rather than receiving communion in the pews. Other than that, things remain fairly static.
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