September 14, 2022
“Dancing the Night Away”: A Prayer
O Lord, dancing the night away, that’s what got her into
trouble,
got the Prime Minister of Finland into
trouble,
partying with friends got her into
trouble,
criticized for
having a good time
when things so grim
for so many, war
and much more;
but
critics shut down by
what she said in response, and
what she said was this: “I am human.
And amid these dark times, I too miss
joy, light, fun;”
and so she
danced the darkness away,
discoed the darkness away,
drove the darkness away,
darkness dispersed, with
joy, light, fun.
But, Lord, she’s not the only one, not the only one who misses
joy, light, fun;
a lot of us do
in these dark times;
and the times
are dark,
if by darkness
we mean
not able to see clearly,
easily losing our way,
becoming lost,
groping along,
no fixed point to
set a course by,
get our bearing,
establish a direction,
no idea
where we are,
where we’re going,
where it’s all leading,
because
reality not reality,
truth not truth,
facts not facts,
everyone having
their own reality,
their own truth,
their own facts,
and so
no reality to reality,
no relationship to reality,
no reality to relationship; or
if by darkness
we mean
violence,
war,
evil,
a culture that
glorifies
violence,
war,
evil,
a culture of fear; or
if by darkness
we mean
illness,
Covid,
cancer,
living in the valley
of the shadow;
if this is what
we mean,
then surely
for us
as a world, as a nation, as individuals,
these are dark times.
And so help us, O Lord, to dance the darkness away; or
if our dancing days are past,
to party the darkness away; or
if our partying days are over,
to have fun, laugh the darkness away;
because
it’s what
darkness
cannot abide,
joy,
light,
fun;
it’s what politicians,
like vampires,
cannot abide,
losing their power in
the light of truth,
exposed by
the light of truth,
sent fleeing by
the light of truth;
and evil, war, violence
undone by what seems to have
no power to undo anything,
love,
the love that
overcomes evil,
faces down violence,
makes for peace; and
undone by
joy and fun,
in the midst of evil and violence and war,
children playing, choirs singing, concerts performed
in the midst of rubble, declaring
a people not defeated,
will never be defeated; and
illness
managed with
faith and hope,
the laughter of faith,
the humor of hope,
finding funny what never thought would be funny,
laughing at what never thought would be laughable,
Kitty and I laughing about
my colostomy,
hope
in that valley
of the shadows,
the
funny dance
of faith,
dancing the darkness away.
Teach us
how to dance
like that.
And especially, Lord, let the light of your healing presence
shine in the darkness that envelops
those who are battling disease,
those who are suffering,
those who are dying,
those who are grieving,
those who are struggling,
and the hungry and homeless and refugees of this world,
and the people of the Ukraine and other
war-torn countries,
giving them all
hope and joy.
O Lord, I wonder if anyone besides me is up for a party,
feels like dancing the night away,
wants to have some fun again, is
willing to risk being criticized for laughing,
getting in trouble
because joyous
amid dark times;
I hope so,
because
the darkness
doesn’t stand a chance against
what is so missed and
what is so needed:
joy,
light,
fun.
Amen.