In 1960 Billy bland recorded a song which reached No 7 on the charts called “Let the Little girl Dance.”

   As the vicar and I walked out to the closing hymn, “In Thee is Gladness amid all sadness, Jesus sunshine of my heart” (LSB 818)a little girl was dancing in the aisle. Her grandmother pulled her back into the protection of pew so she wouldn’t be trampled by the charging clergy.  But once we passed the girl, 3 or 4 years old, wearing a pink dress was back to dancing and whirling about.  In fact, another little girl from across the aisle joined her.  I said to Vicar Jonathon, “We need more dancing.”

The little girl in the pink dress was doing what we all should have been doing as we sang the hymn written by Johann Lindemann in about 1600.  In mid- 1900 century it was wed to a tune written by a contemporary of Johann’s an Italian priest, Giovani Gastoldi who wrote several dance – like tunes.

I might no longer be able twirl like the girl, lest I end up on my bottom fleshly burl.  But I find it impossible to stand still.  For how could anyone as we dance toward the end of the second stanza?  “We shout for gladness, Triumph o’er sadness, love Him and praise Him and still shall raise Him glad hymns forever.  Alleluia.”

Thus we join the call in Psalm  148, the psalm of the day, to Alleluia the Lord along with the heavens and heights, angels and angelic armies, sun, moon and stars, waters above and waters below, sea creatures and deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist and stormy winds, mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedar, beasts and livestock, creeping things and flying birds, kings and princes, young men and maidens.  Let us all along with the little girl in the pink dress dance and sing our praises to the Lord for “In Thee is gladness.”