Procession of the Ark
Procession of the Ark, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54001 [retrieved July 9, 2021]. Original source: Image donated by Lee M. Jefferson.
The 1984 film Footloose tells the story of a teenage boy, Ren MacCormack, and his struggle to bring dance back to a sorrowing small town. In the following scene, Ren defends the senior class dream to have a prom. He shows courage as he challenges the town council’s law against dance.
“You see, from the olden times, people danced for a number of reasons--they danced in prayer, or so their crops would be plentiful, or so the hunt would be good.” Ren had started pacing back and forth in front of the council members’ table….
“People danced to stay physically fit, to show their community spirit….And they danced to celebrate. And that--” He slapped one hand against the other. “--that’s the dancing we’re talking about….
“Dancing is celebration!” His voice carried to the rafters of the draughty old room. “It cleans out the body and the spirit, and energy that might be destructive suddenly becomes an expression of joy and happiness. For what? Well, for just about everything. For the fact that spring is here, okay?...
“Or maybe because we’re graduating. And aren’t we told…” He waited a beat before dropping his first bomb. “Aren’t we told in Psalm 149 …” He snatched up the Bible. “‘Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song….Let them praise his name in the dance.’...
“And there was King David--King David-- in the book of Samuel. And what did he do? ‘And David danced before the Lord with all his might...leaping and dancing before the Lord.’ Leaping and dancing, in front of God!...
In Ecclesiastes, we are told,’There is a time to every purpose under the heaven….A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.’”
“And there was a time for this law,” said [a member of the town council].
Ren turned and, his eyes bright, met the challenge head on. “But not anymore! That time is gone. This is our time to dance. This is our way of participating in a rebirth. A new life….
“That’s the way it was in the beginning, the way it’s always been and that’s the way it should be, now and forever and ever.”
Footloose
“You see, from the olden times, people danced for a number of reasons--they danced in prayer, or so their crops would be plentiful, or so the hunt would be good.” Ren had started pacing back and forth in front of the council members’ table….
“People danced to stay physically fit, to show their community spirit….And they danced to celebrate. And that--” He slapped one hand against the other. “--that’s the dancing we’re talking about….
“Dancing is celebration!” His voice carried to the rafters of the draughty old room. “It cleans out the body and the spirit, and energy that might be destructive suddenly becomes an expression of joy and happiness. For what? Well, for just about everything. For the fact that spring is here, okay?...
“Or maybe because we’re graduating. And aren’t we told…” He waited a beat before dropping his first bomb. “Aren’t we told in Psalm 149 …” He snatched up the Bible. “‘Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song….Let them praise his name in the dance.’...
“And there was King David--King David-- in the book of Samuel. And what did he do? ‘And David danced before the Lord with all his might...leaping and dancing before the Lord.’ Leaping and dancing, in front of God!...
In Ecclesiastes, we are told,’There is a time to every purpose under the heaven….A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.’”
“And there was a time for this law,” said [a member of the town council].
Ren turned and, his eyes bright, met the challenge head on. “But not anymore! That time is gone. This is our time to dance. This is our way of participating in a rebirth. A new life….
“That’s the way it was in the beginning, the way it’s always been and that’s the way it should be, now and forever and ever.”
Footloose
Imaging the Word An Arts and Lectionary Resource, Volume 3
Spiritual Practices: Keyword Listing
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
- David (and related pronouns) - Discover how David brings the Ark of God to Jerusalem