Sometimes our praise can't be contained in words



Liturgical dance is quite new to many Christians in the Reformed/ Presbyterian tradition. We are often unsure of its place in our worship. And we have many practical questions about who dances, what form the dance takes, and what clothing the dancers wear.

In an attempt to explore some of those questions RW talked to Ruby Langdon, director of dance in the Meadowvale Community Church. We asked her to provide some guidelines that would help other congregations integrate dance into their liturgy, involving children in a very concrete way in leading worship.

Q. Why do you have liturgical dance in your services?
A. God created us body and soul to praise him. He gave us the ability to move, to walk, to jump, to clap, and to wave. He also gave us rhythm—something the psalmist clearly recognized: "Praise the Lord with dancing" (Ps.149:3).

Dance is a very concrete way—especially for children—of thanking God for these gifts. Children have a strong desire to run free, to be creative, to laugh, to play, to rejoice in the full sense of the word. For them (and for many adults) dance expresses feelings that cannot be verbalized. These expressions should be part of worship.

Jesus tells us, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 1 tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (Mark 10:14-15). Children can teach us the simple faith and the carefree joy that God wants in all of us—what better place to learn it than in the sanctuary of God?

When I see the girls who dance with me creating song and movement on their own, I know the Spirit is at work in them. I also know that their dance is not just for themselves but for the whole body of believers. For dance that is inspired by the word of God has power!

Q. When do you use dance in worship? Every Sunday or just for special occasions?
A. Dance should neither accompany every song nor be part of every worship service.

Some songs do not move us to dance. Forcing ourselves to dance to such songs just for the sake of dancing is neither appropriate nor right.

Our team usually dances while the whole congregation sings and instrumentalists play. Dancers should be part of a celebration team that also includes worship leaders, singers, and instrumentalists. Dance, like playing an instrument or singing, can be inspired by God. We must keep him in the center of our liturgical dancing.

As with other members of the celebration team, preparation and/or rehearsal time is essential for dancers. At Community CRC our dancers meet every Thursday from 5:00-7:00 p.m. to rehearse a number for the coming Sunday or to work on new numbers. From 7:30—10:00 we join in practice with other members of the celebration team to prepare thoroughly for Sunday worship. And each Sunday morning before we dance, wejoin with other members of the team in pre-service prayer.

We take dance very seriously at Community CRC.

Q. Who dances? What's a good starting age for liturgical dancing?
A. Presently I am working with seven girls, ranging in age from eight to thirteen. These are the children God has led to me and all I am able to handle on my own.

My prayer is to eventually begin work with a younger group of dancers as well. In our congregation we have many eager children two years old and up who are willing and able to learn simple dances. Often we will find a few children dancing together in a circle or waving flags. It thrills me to see their eagerness!

Ideally a dance team should have no age restrictions. Both the very young and the very old— and all those in between—can praise God through movement.

Q. How do you organize and direct a group of dancers?
A. When creating a dance, I try to use the ideas of each group member. I begin by playing a song through several times and letting each dancer put his or her own movements to it. Then we come together and attempt to form a group dance.

The important thing in teaching dance is to help the dancers begin to see or feel what is inside of themselves and learn to put it into motion. The dance should speak to those dancing as well as those watching.

God has given each of us a very unique style of dance, and it is important that we use that style. We can learn from each other, but we should not be clones of each other. We each have our own talents and must develop them.

On page 24 I offer ideas for movement to the first stanza of "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today." It's up to you and your dancers to create motions for the rest of the hymn!

Q. What do the children wear?
A. Our group has special dance outfits—modest, loose fitting, and free flowing. These dancers are preparing to minister to the Lord. Just as the high priest dressed in special garments to go into the presence of the Lord, our dancers put on their costumes before leading the congregation in worship. The costumes take the congregation's attention off the individual and help them focus on the dance.

Colors. Our costumes come in six different colors, symbolizing biblical themes and church seasons:

■ WHITE—symbolizes holiness, purity, being set free and clean. (Christmas, Easter, baptism)

■ BLUE—symbolizes deity; the high priest wore blue robes to enter the Holy of Holies. (Advent)

■ PURPLE—symbolizes royalty; Jesus was given a purple robe before he was crucified and called king of the Jews (Lent)

■ RED—symbolizes the shed blood of Christ. In the Old Testament a red heifer was sacrificed as a ceremony of cleansing. (Palm Sunday, Pentecost)

■ YELLOW—symbolizes the precious, festive gold used in the temple. (Christmas, Easter)

■ GREEN—symbolizes new growth, new birth. (Pentecost Season)

Design. The basic costume design is as follows:

The Body Suit
—high neck with elastic
—-3/4-length sleeves
—wide, loose fitting
—snaps

Skirt
—elastic waist (to fit many sizes)
—full, ankle-length skirt

Pants/Tights
—elastic waist
—stretchy and close-fitting
—ankle-length to allow free movement of feet

Sash
-to wrap around waist

Note: Patterns and/or dance outfits are available from "Yarnit." For a free brochure, write

Ruby Langdon
1 Roxaline St.
Weston, ON M9P 2Y6

For Further Reading

Deitering, Carolyn. The Liturgy as Dance and the Liturgical Dancer. New York: The Crossroads Publishing Co.

Roberts, Debbie. Rejoice, A Biblical Study of the Dance. Revival Press.


Excerpt
A Dance for Joy
A year ago on Easter Sunday I worshiped at the Community CRC of Meadow-vale, Ontario. As the organ introduced the opening hymn, "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, "five or six girls spread out in a line across the front of the worship center and faced the congregation. Each carried a banner—a long, narrow, colorful streamer attached to a three-foot pole.

As the congregation started to sing the hymn, the girls waved their streamers from left to right in a long synchronized arc. Then on the "Alleluia" they held the streamers high and twirled in a circle. They repeated those motions throughout the song—waving and twirling, waving and twirling.

Color and motion seemed to fill the front of the church that morning. Many of the little children in the congregation waved their arms in tandem with the dancers. The children became, in effect, the song directors and worship leaders. Their faces shone with the joy of celebration and participation that lifted the hearts and voices of everyone there.

This past Easter Sunday I sang that hymn again…as I have so many times before. And it was joyful. But in my mind's eye I could still see those children joyfully announcing the resurrection of their Lord by waving the good news to everyone who could see.

—Emily Brink

Author
Ruby Langdon


www.reformedworship.org/magazi...cle.cfm

A CALL TO THE DANCERS FOR VIRGINIA MINISTRY (2/29-3/1/08)

Psalm 149:1-4

"Sing to the Lord a new song and His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name with the dance. Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people. He will beautify the humble with salvation."


CALLING DANCERS TO NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA (2/29-3/1/08)!

Toll of Climate Change on World Food Supply Could Be Worse Than Thought
Predictions, Already Daunting, Fail to Account for Extreme Weather, Disease and Other Complications, Say New Reports

Dec. 3, 2007—Global agriculture, already predicted to be stressed by climate change in coming decades, could go into steep, unanticipated declines in some regions due to complications that scientists have so far inadequately considered, say three new scientific reports. The authors say that progressive changes predicted to stem from 1- to 5-degree C temperature rises in coming decades fail to account for seasonal extremes of heat, drought or rain, multiplier effects of spreading diseases or weeds, and other ecological upsets. All are believed more likely in the future. Coauthored by leading researchers from Europe, North America and Australia, they appear in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

“Many people assume that we will never have a problem with food production on a global scale. But there is a strong potential for negative surprises,” said Francesco Tubiello, a physicist and agricultural expert at the NASA/Goddard Institute of Space Studies who coauthored all three papers. Goddard is a member of Columbia University’s Earth Institute.

In order to keep pace with population growth, current production of grain—from which humans derive two-thirds of their protein—will probably have to double, to 4 billion tons a years before 2100. Studies in the past 10 years suggest that mounting levels of carbon dioxide in the air—believed to be the basis of human-caused climate change—may initially bolster the photosynthetic rate of many plants, and, along with new farming techniques, possibly add to some crop yields. Between now and mid-century, higher temperatures in northerly latitudes will probably also expand lands available for farming, and bring longer growing seasons. However, these gains likely will be canceled by agricultural declines in the tropics, where even modest 1- to 2-degree rises are expected to evaporate rainfall and push staple crops over their survival thresholds. Existing research estimates that developing countries may lose 135 million hectares (334 million acres) of prime farm land in the next 50 years. After mid-century, continuing temperature rises—5 degrees C or more by then--are expected to start adversely affecting northern crops as well, tipping the whole world into a danger zone.

The authors of the PNAS studies say that much of the previous work is oversimplified, and as a consequence, the potential for bigger, more rapid problems remains largely unexplored. “The projections show a smooth curve, but a smooth curve has never happened in human history,” said Tubiello. “Things happen suddenly, and then you can’t respond to them.” For instance, extreme-weather events of all kinds, including heat waves or sudden big storms, could easily wipe out crops on vast scales if they occur for even a few days during critical germination or flowering times. Tubiello says this is already happening on smaller scales. During a heat wave in the summer of 2003, temperatures in Italy soared 6 degrees C over their long-term mean, and the corn yield in the rich Po valley dropped a record 36%. Nearly all the world’s pastures are rain-fed; in Africa, droughts in the 1980s and 1990s wiped out 20% to 60% of some nations’ herds. Such events on larger scales could arise with little or no warning in the near future, the authors suggest.

Higher temperatures may also prompt outbreaks of weeds and pests, and affect plant or animal physiology—factors also left out of most projections. One of the new PNAS studies, “Crop and Pasture Response to Climate Change,” says that more recent modeling suggests cattle ticks and bluetongue (a viral disease of sheep and cattle) will move outward from the tropics to areas such as southern Australia. Other new models suggest that higher temperatures will limit the ability of modern dairy-cow breeds to convert feed into milk, and lead to declines in livestock fertility and longevity. As temperatures rise in northerly latitudes, the ability of crop pests to survive winters is expected to improve, enabling them to attack spring crops in regions where they were previously kept at bay during this vulnerable time.

The authors say that farmers may temporarily mitigate some effects of changing climate by moving toward adaptations now. Adaptations already being considered or set up include regional climate-forecasting systems that enable farmers to switch to different crops or change the timing of plantings; introduction of new varieties or species that can withstand anticipated conditions; and improved flood-mitigation and water-storage facilities. One of the PNAS studies, “Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change,” says that such adaptations might help tropical farmers cut damages wrought by rises of 1.5 to 3 degrees, and temperate-region farmers, damages from 1- to 2-degree rises. This would buy a few decades of time for nations to agree on ways to slow or reverse the warming itself. “After that, all the bets are off,” said Tubiello.

The other authors are based at the Food and Agriculture Organization, in Rome; Austria’s International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis; France’s National Agronomy Research Institute; Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization; Pennsylvania State University; Arizona State University; and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Matthew 28

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you." 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me." 11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' 14 And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day. 16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."


If this is true, if this is real - that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead (verse 6), and that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him (verse 18), and that he will be with his disciples to the end of the age (verse 20) - if this is true, then nothing is more important in our lives, nothing is more crucial or more urgent or more needful than believing it and becoming a follower of Jesus. I know it's a big if - if this is true, if this is real (you may believe it or not) - but if the premise is true, wouldn't you agree with the conclusion? - nothing is more important for everyone in this room than to believe in him and be his follower.

Authority over All Things
Just think of it. Jesus says in verse 18, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." If this is true, then today Jesus Christ is the Lord of the universe.

He has authority over politics and government; he has authority over all armies and military might;

he has authority over all industry and business (NASDAQ and Dow Jones);

he has authority over science and education - all research and discovery and universities and colleges;

he has authority over all entertainment and media - radio, TV, magazines, ne wspapers, Internet, theater, art;

he has authority over all sports and leisure - over the Wolves and Blazers this afternoon and every other playoff game;

he has authority over all natural phenomena - all weather and floods and volcanoes and earthquakes and tornadoes and hurricanes and global warming and ozone layers;

he has authority over all planets and moons and stars and light and energy and motion and time;

and therefore he has authority over our lives - health and disease and success and failure and life and death.

I don't know where you are this morning. You may or may not believe the testimony of Jesus and his disciples. But I hope you see at least that if -if - it is true that Jesus rose from the dead as the Lord of the universe with all authority in heaven and on earth, then believing it and following Jesus as our Lord is the most important, most urgent, most crucial thing in our lives.

Two Crucial Events
No matter how hard I try to think of an alternative, I can't escape the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ as Lord of the universe with all authority in heaven and on earth is the greatest event in the history of the world - except, perhaps, for one other, the one that happened three days earlier, namely, his death.

So what I would like to do this morning is ponder two events with you - or think together about two claims of Matthew 28: one that Jesus was crucified; the other that Jesus has risen from the dead and is alive and with us to the end. There would have been no need for the resurrection if Jesus had not died; and there would be no saving significance to his death if he did not rise. Both are utterly crucial.

Jesus Has Been Crucified
The time is early Sunday morning. Mary Magdalene and the other women have come to the tomb of Jesus. They see an angel whose appearance is like lightning (verse 3). Then, according to Matthew 28:5-6a, "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.'" There is the first claim in this text that I want us to focus on: "Jesus has been crucified."

What do we need to know about this event - that Jesus was crucified - so that his resurrection is seen to be what it really is? Here are five things:

www.desiringgod.org/Resource..._the_End/

This weekend brings us the return of the famous Leonid Meteor Shower, a meteor display that in recent years has brought great anticipation and excitement to skywatchers around the world.

While the Leonids have been spectacular in years past, this year a modest display is expected.

Solely from the standpoint of viewing circumstances, this will be a favorable year to look for these meteors, since the Moon will be at first quarter phase and will have set in the West long before the constellation Leo (from where the meteors get their name) has climbed high in the sky.

What they are

The Leonid meteors are debris shed into space by the Tempel-Tuttle comet, which swings through the inner solar system at intervals of 33.25 years.

With each visit the comet leaves behind a trail of dust in its wake. Lots of the comet's old dusty trails litter the mid-November part of Earth's orbit and the Earth glides through this debris zone every year. Occasionally we'll pass directly through an unusually concentrated dust trail, or filament, which can spark a meteor storm resulting in thousands of meteors per hour. That's what happened in 1999, 2001 and 2002, because Tempel-Tuttle had through the inner solar system in 1998.

But now, the comet – and its dense trails of dust – have all receded far beyond Earth's orbit and back into the outer regions of the solar system. So this year there there is little if any chance of heightened activity.

Peak activity
In the 2007 Observer's Handbook of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, meteor experts Margaret Campbell-Brown and Peter Brown indicate that this year's peak activity should occur on the night of Nov. 17-18. They cite 4:00 GMT on Nov. 18, which corresponds to 11 p.m. EST and 8 p.m. PST on the evening of Nov. 17.

This is the moment when the Earth will be passing closest to the orbit of the long-departed comet, and when our planet seemingly is most likely to encounter some residual comet material. This time is highly favorable for those in Europe and Africa. But in contrast for North American observers, Leo will still be below the horizon; they will have to wait until later in the night to catch a view of the Leonids.

But while Leonid rates are unpredictable, it is unlikely that more than about 15 meteors per hour will be seen this year.

Other meteor researchers concur that Leonid activity will be modest at best.

In the 2007 Astronomical Calendar, British meteor astronomer, Alastair McBeath also cites the night of Nov. 17-18 as the best night for Leonid viewing: "This year may see a return to more typical meteor numbers, perhaps 15+?"

McBeath gives 3:00 GMT on Nov. 18 for this year's Leonid peak and states that observing conditions "should be impressive for covering this likely maximum, especially from Europe, North Africa and the Near East."

Possible Brief Outburst over Asia?

Other meteor researchers, however, such as NASA's Peter Jenniskens, Jeremie Vaubaillon of France, Esko Lyytinen of Finland, David Asher of Ireland and Mikhail Maslov of Russia, have examined Leonid prospects for this year and also suggest watching for some meteor activity also on Nov. 18, but much later in the day.

For instance: sometime between 22:36 and 23:03 GMT, the Earth might interact with material that was shed by comet Tempel-Tuttle back in the year 1932. But even in this case, the intensity of the shower will fall far short of the memorable Leonid displays that occurred as we transitioned from the 20th to the 21st century.

"Unfortunately it isn't possible to have a 'once in a lifetime' chance every year," Asher notes.

It is possible the dusty material from 1932 will create a brief bevy of 30 to 60 Leonids per hour. But the time frame when these meteors are predicted to be most numerous only favors observers in central and eastern Asia (where it will be the early morning hours of November 19). And unfortunately, for Japan and Australia, the sun will have already risen!

How to watch
The meteors will appear to emanate from out of the so-called "Sickle" of Leo, but prospective viewers should not concentrate on that area of the sky around Leo, but rather keep their eyes moving around to different parts of the sky.

Because Leo does not start coming fully into view until the after midnight hours, that would be the best time to concentrate on looking for the Leonid meteors.

The hours after midnight are generally best for watching for "shooting stars" anyway, because before midnight we are riding on the back side of the Earth in its orbit around the sun, whereas after midnight we are on the front or advancing side. After midnight the only meteoroids escaping collision are those ahead of the Earth and moving in the same direction with velocities exceeding 18.5 miles (29.8 kilometers) per second. All others we will either overtake or meet head-on. But before midnight, when we are on the backside, the only meteoroids we encounter are those with velocities high enough to overtake the Earth.

Therefore, on the average, morning meteors appear brighter and faster than those we see in the evening.

And because the Leonids are moving along in their orbit around the sun in a direction opposite to that of Earth, they slam into our atmosphere nearly head-on, resulting in the fastest meteor velocities possible: 45 miles (72 kilometers) per second. Such speeds tend to produce bright meteors, which leave long-lasting streaks or trains in their wake.

Top 10 Leonid Facts
Sky Calendar & Moon Phases
Meteor Watching Tips
www.space.com/spacewatch/...preview.html