Movement
Image: John Sullivan The Yesteryears Revisited
Once a week we would change into our PE kit and go to the school hall. Our teacher would turn on the speakers and radio for, ‘Music and Movement’.
This was at my Junior school. The person on the speaker welcomed us and would say, ‘find a space’. With that, we would all spin round on the spot with arms stretched out.
We had to wait until we were told to move. I remember one instruction was, ‘Now children we are going to sway like trees in the wind’, and we would sway with our arms in the air!
Movement is a key theme in the Bible, and often involved people moving in response to God’s instructions. The Old Testament book of Exodus recounts the story of Israel leaving Egypt under the leadership of Moses.
It came to a dramatic climax when the Israelites reached the Red Sea and were being pursued by Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. God said to Moses…
“Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
Moses was obedient, raised his staff, the waters parted and all the Israelites passed through to the other side, whilst the Egyptians were destroyed.
God intervened and made a way for them. In response they were told to move, they could not stay where they were. Movement brought them into a new space, into freedom.
Christians are instructed to ‘follow Christ’. That means a life of movement, which may include physical relocation.
I think that for all of us, movement is more about what goes on internally. When I became a Christian I began to discover God’s ways, and I had to move and adjust my thinking, with God’s help, to be in alignment with Him.
That involved not being fixed or stubborn about how I felt or saw something. My movement allowed God space to move in me! Are there areas in your life, where you need to move?
God bless you:)
Gary Bastin
Hope Community Church leader