Sun Dance

Even though it is almost a month later, I'm still processing the Sun Dance. I feel that I need to study and learn more about this most sacred of Lakota ceremonies. When we first arrived I felt strange and unwelcome...sort of like arriving in the middle of a stranger's wedding reception. The unwanted feelings soon changed to a romantic notion of the Lakota and a desire to be one of them. I looked all around and saw the beauty of the prairie grass and rolling hills. The sight of the teepees in this beautiful backdrop brought me back to a time when the Lakota camped and hunted bison on the same land.

There is still a lot I don't understand about the Sun Dance. I realize the dancers are pierced and that they dance around the tree, until the piercings pull out. I've seen the scared chests of the dancers. I have also heard (but do not know for certain) that most (or all) dancers make a commitment to abstain from alcohol, drugs and to live a righteous life for a few years. It reminds me of part of the covenant ceremonies used by Abraham's contemporaries. During one part of the covenant ceremony, wrists where cut and tied together as the two people's blood came together like modern day "blood brothers". The scars were festered so that they would be visible for a lifetime, reminding them of their covenant. In much the same way, I'm sure the Sun Dancer's have scars that remind them of the commitment they had made. I believe that Jesus reminded His disciples of the New Covenant, not only through the last supper, but also after he rose again and show them his scars. There seems to be a connection between blood, scars and covenants. Perhaps one day Sun Dancers for Christ will be reminded of their commitment to Him by their own scars. Can the ceremony be used to worship Christ?