My family and I will be at the Perichoresis Conference in Richmond, VA this weekend. I hope to bring back some goooood stuff! I have been preparing for it by reading The Great Dance.

I can see how this can relate to our naturism and our daily lives, clothed or not. This is how my pastor was able to understand our naturism (it's that good...think about it). And I can see how this can relate to reaching out to our naturist friends who do not yet understand their relationship in God. Humanity knows that there is something greater, but tends to ignore it since they are still blind to it.

Christians tend to look for the lost, so one assumption must be made: One cannot be lost if they have no home to be lost from. Therefore, if they are classified as "lost", then they do have a home in the Trinity, but are blind to it or simply do not know it. We spend too much of our time condemning the lost instead of leading them home. Think of the father who stood out on the road waiting for his son to come home (Story of the Prodigal Son). He didn't condemn the son, he didn't even wait for his son to give that eloquent speech he worked on as he headed home. He just grabbed his dirty, filthy, pig stained son and gave him a huge hug and several kisses, then gave him his robe (over his still dirty body) and a ring and demanded a feast for him! That is God welcoming us home!

Boyd

While I was searching around the net trying to wrap my brain around "Perichoresis" I ran across this site which (at least to my limited brain) seemed easier to grasp: http://itsadance.net/perichoresis/

After noodling this for a bit I'm curious how you would compare / contrast this word and concept with the probably better known Greek word "Koinonia" that crops up in the Greek New Testament. In my mind the latter describes the relationships of Christians to one another and with God - one specific example being the sacrament of the "Lord's Supper" or "Communion".

"Perichoresis" (the earliest reference I could find was from an early theologian "John of Damascas") on the other hand seems to be an attempt to describe the interactions and relationships of the Trinity but at the same time there would seem to be some bearing on our relationship to the Trinity and vice versa. A heady concept indeed.

I don't know that I follow (or agree with) this fellows (another hit from Google) entire line of reasoning but I like his bottom line: http://www.drbilllong.com/Prefixes/PerichoresisIII.html

"So, that is my "bottom line" on perichoresis. We understand the doctrine if we understand love. If we are strangers to love, or only intermittently have felt the powerful pull of that force, we will only scoff at and be skeptical that there can be any such thing as the perichoresis of the Trinity. We will come up with all kinds of critical questions, such as how can a relationship of three teach us about a relationship of two? or how can things be co-eternal? Tons of questions, and good questions, will be on our lips. But if we know love, we are willing to grant love's existence elsewhere in the universe. Especially in God."

Perichoresis is also a word that translate into our language as crises.

When we find ourselves trying to live outside the Trinity, we find ourselves in a crises. Jesus came (sent by the Father) to enter into our flesh, not just "become human", but to enter into our humanity, become "flesh". Yet, he did not accept our view of the Father. In fact, we did not have a view called "Father" until Jesus came.

When he gave the parables of the Prodigal Son, he told it along with several other parables, the lost coin, the lost sheep, etc. Each time, God is represented as out looking for us, not us seeking God. And each time, there was rejoicing by angels in heaven. But in the prodigal son, we came to the Father, but as a person who is trying to earn our way back in. We are in a crises. But so was the son who stayed with the Father and did all the "right things". In this case, the Father was rejoicing.

The Father ran out to meet his son and didn't take the time to listen to his well prepared speech. Instead, he called for the cloak and ring and fatted calf. The other son didn't realize he was working for nothing. He thought doing the right things (religion, programs, steps) should have earned him a fatted calf, but he had it all along. It was his to begin with. So whats his problem? Whats his beef?

They both had the wrong idea about the Father. The repentance did not happen at the pig pen, or on the way back or in the speech he barely got out. The repentance happened when he realized who his Father really was and is like.

Real eternal life comes from knowing the Father. Not the laws, rules or religious rhetoric or rituals.

Humanity is in a crises. And when we finely understand who the Father is, we really find ourselves in a crisis. Then and only then, do we really repent..joyfully!!

Yes, we can dance naked for joy and freedom before the Father.

Boyd

When I first read this, I didn't have a clue. Then, this weekend, I listened to a sermon from LiquidChurch (http://www.liquidchurch.com) which explained it well. I didn't put 2 & 2 together again until the message strip went active again.

I am glad to hear your weekend went well.

Did you see the link that was in the original message?

It was hidden within the word perichoresis.

Here is the actual link. Sorry for the confusion.

Boyd

I did see the link in the original message. For some reason it didn't sink in. I wonder sometimes if the timing was such God was trying to get my attention!

Try this for more understanding of Perichoresis

http://www.perichoresis.org/content/1/3/34.html

It's a down loadable PDF file.

Boyd

Among all our Christian duties, we sometimes neglect our God-given urge to celebrate--to give vent to the joy within us when we think of our great salvation that God provided for us just because He loves us so much. "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord". (Ephesians 5:19) I like the Perichoresis concept. And bornnude, I also like the "liquid church" concept. Too often the world sees only the negative sides of our faith; we should show them our joy too.

(Off-topic comment: Since this passage so clearly agrees with Psalm 150, which I call "the musicians' Psalm," I cannot understand why some Christian churches believe there should be no instruments or dancing in worship services. "Praise Him with the timbrel and dance..." Psalm 150:3)

The holy spirit is where our spirit is affected. We create music, art, and find joy in these things. Our spirit and body react to these things because of the holy spirit.

We think our love for our children, or our appreciation for beauty that is around us, art, designing, planning, building, comes from within. It originated from the Father, Son and holy spirit. Jesus enjoyed life, was able to touch the leper, to show love and compassion to the poor and sick and lonely, because of his constant communion with the Father and holy spirit. He was so connected, that death could not hold him. Life sprung out of him like water from a well supplied spring. That is why we like to call it "living waters".

Those living waters make music as well as art and fills the thirsty soul. It's not just a "power" as in electricity. It's a living dynamic part of the Trinity. The holy spirit is very much alive and dancing in our lives through music and art and conversations, which is a dance and art itself.

You see how well communion ties the dance, the art, the music, the conversation, the time we spend together, so well. When we take the communion at church, the bread and the wine, do we forget what it really means? It means that WE are a living and dynamic part of the fellowship of the holy spirit! We are a living part of the dance of God. WE are a part of the UNION that Christ had with his father while on earth. We can have that SAME direct communion with the Father as Jesus tried to show us. "I and my Father are One".

We are One in Communion with the Father, Son and Spirit.

Dance to the Music! Who cares about the clothing? Get rid of it and DANCE!!

Reminds me, about a couple of weeks ago, at our church, (We use a large cafeteria of a school), after services and the chairs were taken back up leaving a large empty floor. The kids take advantage of that space and have a great time playing while we fellowship. A couple of girls took out a long heavy rope that belonged to the school and started a jump roping session. They were standing there, one at each end, waiting for the next kid to jump in. That was when I saw an opportunity for the Trinity and fellowship. I ran up to them and jumped in. They were surprised but started their counting as I jumped the rope! Of course, the other adults were even more surprised, but everyone seemed to appreciate it! I took it all the way through 16 or 17 hops. That was fun! And I'm sure God had fun too!

Boyd