Jill and Kevin: Rockin’ God’s House

July 26, 2009 | 26 comments

They bypassed the traditional, slow, arm-in-arm walk down the aisle; they skipped Canon in D.

Souls intertwined — in a pledge of forever — Jill and Kevin boogied their way into a covenant. They rocked the House.

They were “getting down with Jesus.”

Minnesota newlyweds Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz have been an explosive sensation after posting their wedding video on YouTube a few days ago (embedded below). As I write this, the video has received nearly 7 million hits on YouTube.

A tableaux of satin and sashay, the wedding party slipped on sunglasses then sidestepped and somersaulted their way down the aisle at Christ Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn.

Some commenters on blogs and YouTube have criticized the dancing, saying it trivializes the Christian covenant of marriage. They wince at swaying hips, pumping fists and handstands in a church.

Me?

I saw pure joy between wooden pews.
I saw uninhibited abandon without regard for manmade ritual.
I saw a celebratory swell of life unfolding before the altar.

I saw church the way God intended. I don’t want to minimize the respect God deserves, or the sort of worship that ought to drop us flat on our face before Him.

We owe Him solemn thanks. We owe Him humble hearts. We owe Him everything.

We owe Him our dance.

***

Oh, to dance like David in the House of the Lord. Oh, to dance like Jill and Kevin.

“And David danced before the Lord with all his might.” — 2 Sam. 6:14

(Monday morning update: Embedding has been disabled for this video. Click through below to watch it on YouTube, or click here.)

by | July 26, 2009 | 26 comments

26 Comments

  1. Denise @ A Sacred Longing

    That was priceless! I, too, saw the pure joy that God desires from us. Abandoned, overflowing and expressive worship!

    A celebration of marriage began that day! May it follow them their whole life.

    Shalom,
    Denise

    Reply
  2. papa&nanaT

    I agree I march to my own drummer(well maybe to Gods drum beat I guess)but I loved it and would love to have been the Gramma of the bride!!! God bless them for celebrating their union and the family and friends for enjoying the moment.

    Reply
  3. papa&nanaT

    I agree I march to my own drummer(well maybe to Gods drum beat I guess)but I loved it and would love to have been the Gramma of the bride!!! God bless them for celebrating their union and the family and friends for enjoying the moment.

    Reply
  4. RCUBEs

    I had my husband watched it with me and we had a blast! Who says you can't dance on your wedding day! I felt "tremendous joy" from these two hearts about to unite in God's presence. I'm glad this couple did it and danced in His presence!
    I, too can't wait to dance with the Groom someday! When the Groom comes to be united with His lovely bride! Thanks for sharing this! Have a great week!

    Reply
  5. Kristen Love

    I love it! I only saw part of the vidwo on the news- watching the whole thing is a must 🙂
    I bet they will have a long and happy marriage because one of the keys to life (and marriage) is to KEEP A SENSE OF HUMOR!
    Instead of taking themselves way too seroiously- they celebrated their marriage with humor and fun!

    Reply
  6. Sarah Dawn

    We owe Him our dance. Exactly dear one, may we dance for Him with our lives, our hearts, our whole being.

    Dancing for him on the mission field,
    Sarah Dawn

    Reply
  7. Beth E.

    I hadn't seen the video…thanks for sharing it. I like the dancing, too!

    Reply
  8. Lyla Lindquist

    David was in hot water that night when he got home after dancing with all his might…his wife watched from her window, one of those wincing at his swaying hips and handstands.

    His response?

    I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.

    David's worship cost him his dignity. He gave it up freely and savored every moment.

    I presume Jill and Kevin savored each one as well. Beautiful picture your words have added to their story.

    Reply
  9. *~* Jenni *~*

    I've seen so many bloggers gripe about this video, its refreshing to see someone point out the GOOD things about this video. What a fantastic to show their love to each other!

    Reply
  10. Pttyann

    Yeaaa,yeaaaa I really loved that there were a few dancers that "cracked me up" that was really good and different!!!! I want soon forget that good wedding for sure,I hope they have a long and wonderful life together!!!!! I would like to share that please let me know.
    Love ya

    Reply
  11. Jennifer @ Getting Down With Jesus

    Is it weird that I cried when I saw the bride walk down the aisle?

    Lyla, yes — "even more undignified." I almost put those verses in the post. Thanks for adding the depth, having the sense to add your trademark wisdom here in the comment box.

    Reply
  12. christy rose

    Amen! Oh to dance like David did! Uninhibited and free! I liked this video too! They are having a blast!

    Reply
  13. Tea With Tiffany

    This made me cry. Any time I see total joy and freedom in dance and song I cannot help but be moved. Your post explains why. Thank you.

    Reply
  14. Wendy @ All in a Day's Thought

    And dance I shall!

    I adore your fervor for life.
    ~ Wendy

    Reply
  15. Tabitha@ichoosebliss

    This was amazingly beautiful and fun!

    Reply
  16. lynnrush

    Oh yeah. I saw that video of the dancing .. Loved it. To be that excited and energetic…Bring it!

    Great post! Thanks.

    Reply
  17. Finally Free

    I loved it! I love to dance before the Lord. I have been to a couple of worship nights with messianic worship leader, Paul Wibur, and we all danced before the Lord.

    Thanks for posting. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Wickle

    Lyla got my answer … I was about to refer to Michal, as well!

    Nowhere in the Bible will we find the traditional wedding march, Pachelbal's Canon, or any other such thing mentioned. Those are human customs that we've imposed on the celebration of marriage.

    I don't know Jill or Kevin, so I have no idea about the state of their hearts or their relationship with God.

    What I do know is that the fuddy-duds who are putting this down and assuming that there's something wrong with Jill and Kevin's hearts are wrong.

    God loves joy. He loves dancing. Too many people think that you have to be stoic in church. Have they ever read the Psalms?

    For the record … my wife and I had a traditional-type procession (including Pachelbal). That doesn't make Jill and Kevin wrong … just different.

    Reply
  19. Jennifer @ Getting Down With Jesus

    Amen, Wickle.

    As a bride, I came in to Trumpet Voluntary. And we had a lovely service. I truly love tradition.

    I don't know if I would have done what Jill and Kevin did (if the thought had even occurred to me), but I admire their boldness.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Reply
  20. Anne L.B.

    These are my kind of people. Loved it.

    Reply
  21. Sockrma18

    I also posted the video on my blog because I thought it was hilarious. And, Jen….I cried when I saw the bride too. :0)

    I have a feeling that God was clapping and tapping His foot right along with the rest of the crowd. I believe with all my heart He loves when we laugh and dance and sing for Him!

    P.S. I would LOVE to see how much fun they had at the reception! :0)

    Reply
  22. Tea With Tiffany

    Thank you so much for the scripture you posted on my blog. SO encouraging.

    Hugs,
    T

    Reply
  23. Carol

    Marissa and I laughed and laughed at this. Tyler and Christi are getting married in June. I don't know if I can quite see them doing this…but maybe at the reception. I went to a wedding this summer and the bridal party was intoduced as the starting lineup…." and now, starting as maid of honor…" It was a hoot. They played the basketball warmup songs and the rocky song. It was great seeing you today and thanks for all you do for me. Love….Carol

    Reply
  24. mom2four

    I too was crying by the time the bride made her way to her awaiting groom.

    I was given a little insight to this video. One of the groomsmen lives in Sioux Falls. I understand that the groom lost his brother unexpectantly shortly before the wedding and the dance was the wedding parties way of showing the brother in heaven that they were celebrating not mourning.
    Praise God for giving them the strength to dance in celebration.

    Reply
  25. Jennifer @ Getting Down With Jesus

    Mom2Four — Thanks for the insights. I had done some online research to find anything significant (especially spiritually) that might have led up to it — but I came up short. I appreciate your information. Has that been on the news at all?

    Inspiring …

    Thanks for dropping by.

    Reply
  26. Colleen

    I agree!!!God needs our dancing and our singing!

    Reply

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