Daily Readings: Psalm 21; Isaiah 24:1-16a; I Thessalonians 4:1-12

One final word, friends. We ask you – urge you is more like it – that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance.

I Thessalonians 4:1-2, The Message

After these words, it’s about sex – or, more precisely, not having sex in a way that harms us physically, emotionally, or spiritually. It’s a plea to take into account the whole person you get naked with. Then it becomes a request to take into account the rest of the community members – even those we don’t know particularly well. In short, live and act as if your life and the lives of all those around you matter. Because they do.

It’s easy to misunderstand what that really is: a full, vibrant, connected life. It’s not a lesser, boring life that pleases God; it’s not giving up the things that bring us pleasure – it’s making sure that pleasure is found within the larger context of a joyful life for everyone.

A good life isn’t a long slog on a rocky road. A good life is a turn on the dance floor. Unpredictable. Breath-taking. A joyful moving in the company of others.

Enjoy!