Strictly Speaking

 

Bill Bailey suspects that he was chosen for Strictly Come Dancing as a bit of a joke. He has actually done really well, and will be in the final next weekend.

If Bill doesn’t seem an obvious candidate for SCD (and I wouldn’t be either) then his choice of music for the tango wasn’t particularly obvious either. He chose a track called “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, probably the hardest-hitting heavy metal band in the world. I have heard this a few times, it is loud and tough. Perhaps the heavy attitude is why he crashed into a cameraman – but he still won.

The song lyrics deal with fear: “sleep with one eye open”, then “Exit Lights”, and you can guess what that refers to. It may be that Bill was expecting to Exit the competition, or just that he needed the adrenaline which the music provides. It struck a chord in the Vicarage, anyway.

Bill doesn’t seem to be a Christian, but the idea of the fear of death is very relevant to Advent, of course. The Advent themes used to be Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. A great title for a heavy metal album, although Metallica’s last studio album “Hard-Wired to Self-Destruct” is not far off it.

What are our deepest fears and concerns? Suffering and mortality are very challenging aspects of our existence. Is this a dance of life or death? Do we have a saviour? In these uncertain times, are we confident in God’s coming among us to bring hope and eternal life?

Lord, we live for a time on earth among the dance of the planets. There are many dangers and challenges to face as we pirouette through our lives. Help us to face our fears and turn to you, to trust you, that when the exit lights show we can find the way to peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

So what music for that final performance? “Won’t you come home, Bill Bailey”? Ace of Spades? Save the Last Dance for Me? We’ll see.