Perichoresis

Inexplicably the above boldened word has approached me more than once over the last few days. “Choresis” serves as source for our well known expletory: “choreograph”. Where “Peri” translates: “around or about”; leaving the Greek literal to mean, “Dancing Around” or “Dancing About”.

So who is dancing?

Apparently God – in trinitarian form – along with us so that the world may believe.

From our early church fathers the theology of “Perichoresis” attempted the furtherance of, or deeper consideration for the mystery of the unity found in John 17.

“that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” verse 21

Obviously, the complexity of this “unity” may never be fully understood while abiding within time and space, but I do quite enjoy the metaphor of dancing.

So, from two unlikely sources let us allow the “Dance” to continue:

"Then come the lights shining on you from above. You are a performer. You forget all you learned, the process of technique, the fear, the pain, you even forget who you are, you become one with the music, the lights, indeed one with the dance." Shirley McClain

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” Friedrich Nietzsche

Prayer:

Choreograph our movements, oh God, so that others will believe, so that others may hear the music you offer, so that we all may melt into the unity of dance and find joy within your Glory.