Imagine that you’ve been wandering through the desert for days. You’re overheated and parched, starting to become confused. Maybe it’s not too tough to picture on this midsummer evening…

Out of nowhere, you stumble upon a cottage. Lights on, blinds up. You can’t help peeking in as you go by. Three people dance an intricate dance together. Chaotic, yet somehow orchestrated, inviting. Dancing as though they are one. You force yourself to look away, embarrassed by your invasion of their privacy.

But too late.

The occupants notice you peeking in their window.

All at once, they burst out their door and come running toward you. They’re moving too fast, you can’t get away in time. You don’t know what to do, start inventing some sort of fib to not make you seem so creepy.

But instead of making you feel bad, they invite you in. You mutter, “Sorry.” So lame. Should you go ahead and deliver your fib?

They insist, you feel strangely drawn into their fellowship. “I’m not dressed right… I don’t know the dance…” They refuse your excuses, and against your better judgment, your common sense, you find yourself following them into their bungalow.

The coolness of the air conditioning inside melts any last resistance you can muster. The trio resumes their dance. You have no idea what to do, but you find your feet moving to their rhythm. This makes no sense, no way you’re going to be able to explain this to your friends, but you are part of their dance. No going back now.

But would you want to?

This is the way it is with the Trinity–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Mysterious Three dance as though they are One. And They are.

It’s confusing as heck, I know, and all the more to people who hear about it for the first time. And that’s OK. One truly blessed thing about the Trinity is that the Holy Three in One invite you to become a part of Their dance, regardless if it makes any sense to you.

Jump into the dance with both feet and soon you’ll find it doesn’t matter to you how much, or how little, you understand of the Mysterious depths of God.

What matters most is the dance, the intimate relationship with your Creator.

Pas de Trois
(Invitation)

I wander down
The street, accepted by
Few, but mostly
Not.

There is noise in one big
House, noise and
Light, laughter.
Music that makes me think of
Something I lost a long time ago.
Outside, I can’t help
Looking in.

The door swings
Open, I glance away
Embarrassed for being
Caught peeking.

“Come join us,” calls
A Voice to anyone
But me.
But there is nobody else around.
“Yes you!”

I shuffle toward the
Open door, the Light,
Stumbling toward what
I do not know.

Three figures dance a
Random dance, or
So it first seems.
I stand at the edge, drawn
By warmth of Light, by
Laughter and Love.

A pattern emerges, complex and
Choreographed, yet elegant with
Eternal beauty.
No one leads, each defers to
The Other Two, fluid grace.
I’ve no idea how it works but
It does, the music stirring something deep
Inside, yearnings, long-forgotten dreams.

I laugh, a childish sound, and they
See me,
Know me,
Love me anyway.

“We’ve been waiting for you to dance your part,”
They tell me.

“I don’t know this dance,” I say, and yet I
Find myself joining in.
Clumsy, I fall and ruin
The dance but they
Catch me like it’s part of
The routine, and
Still we dance.

There are no rules to this dance, only
Love and Light and laughter and
Music that is no longer haunting. It is a
Divine dance, a celebration.
You come in too, there’s
Always room for one more.

David K. Carpenter

Copyright © 2016 by David K. Carpenter