We did the Hokey Pokey in church yesterday. In a big circle, during the sermon.

Obviously it was a strange message. There really wasn’t much to it. But still, something that was said has stuck with me. The man who was speaking was describing how he used to do the Hokey Pokey with his kids when they were young. He said that although they loved the entire dance and performed it with boundless energy, they just could not wait to get to the part where they put their “whole self” in.

As our congregation was instructed to form a big circle (you can do this kind of stuff in a tiny church like ours) and the song began to play, I admit that I was cynical. But then I began to look around. There was my best friend’s mom doing a cute little shake as she turned herself around. There was my dad – I never could have pictured him like this when I was younger! – with a huge smile on his face, my mom equally enthusiastic beside him, doing the motions with gusto. And there were all the kids and youth of the church throwing themselves into it as if they were at the roller rink and not Big Church.

As I looked at all these people putting their whole selves in, I wished I could do the same. Don’t expect me to be going crazy the next time we are asked to do a silly dance in church, but maybe I can try a little harder to put my whole self into the things that I do. Maybe one day I won’t care as much about what I look like or what people think of me. Maybe one day I’ll get over myself.

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:2-4