I came across this video of the Shaker song “Lord of the Dance” via Larry James’s blog this morning. The Shakers’ first settlement in America was in what is now Watervliet, about a 14 mile trip from here at the office. While their furniture and dress were quite simple, maybe even stiff, their worship was known to be quite exuberant. They danced, shook, and spoke in tongues, hence the name Shakers. People in Albany were known to visit their worship assemblies for the sole purpose of being entertained by their dances.
Regardless of your views of Shaker worship and tradition, this song has a great message, and just might be worth us learning sometime.
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