Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Dancing in the Dark

I was just reminded now of probably the first story I ever read of someone exploring their faith and continuing to explore, even though it looked as though all was going to be lost. It was the story of Sydney Carter, the incredible author and poet, who penned The Lord of the Dance.

I was reminded of it as I read this thread at the forum I used to feel at home in.

Aside from the fact that they confused the Riverdancing one (ah, remember Eurovision that year) with the late great Sydney, it was so sad to read.

Sydney Carter thought of his works as carols, songs to lighten and carry. Lord of the Dance was not just a cheerful ditty, to be sung at school assemblies, it was his way of living the gospel, dancing with the man who was god through the pain and sorrow and hypocrisy of life.

But it's not in Latin and it's not part of the in group, so it must be mocked.

So, so sad.
If I could go back and be a Christian again, I still think I'd be the guitar playing simpleton who they so love to mock rather than the one who does the mocking.
For when you mock, you become a mocker and that cannot be good for the human spirit, whatever that may be. It's certainly not good for the ones who get mocked, who funnily enough, actually are flesh and blood creatures with feelings.
Still, as was said to me, if you can't read it without getting upset, go away.
So I did
And I read
And look what happened

I'm really bitter here tonight- I'm sorry
It's just if I had stayed away, none of this would have happened.
Should have listened and followed their advice.

Still if I were a Christian again, I'd sing this at every possible opportunity (along with Lord of the Dance of course...)
Dressed as a clown
With a big red nose

Lifting and loving you that I am now
Although your body is my bone and blood
I wonder at the maker who can be
Before I am and yet a child in me.

So Come love carolling along in me
Come love carolling along in me
I'll carry you where ever I may be
I'll carry the maker of the world in me.

I lift and I carry you to Bethlehem
I lift and I carry you to Gallilee
But all the while wherever I may be
I carry the maker of the world in me
Sydney Carter

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

*hugs you* Ehy there, Cat. It's strange isn't it, that a Faith that so often says that it must bear fruits to be real contains so much bitter fruit and judgement. I got to know the Lord of the Dance as a ditty, I didn't 'know' it was about the gospel, until I realised it much later. I figured it out myself (as a child) something I was quite proud of. I like guitars at mass. I don't like organ.
Silliness, joy... innocence in faith are good. Sometimes the attitude of some people reminds me of some joking definitions about faith ones. I only remember the one for the Puritans: "The numbing fear that somewhere, somehow, someone might be having some fun." While I'm firmly agreeing that faith isn't all about fun, warmth and joy are such an important part of it. If you take that away, if you ONLY concentrated on suffering, on duty, on 'have tos' they strangle the life out of faith, scrape the meat of the bones, I believe. The part of duty and have tos is so often overlooked these days, that I think some people... overcompensate in a way. *gives you a hug* Do not let the attitudes of some people hurt you.