Worship & Warfare Banners » Banner StoriesA Dance Wedding in Sweden Kristina: In 2000, at the ICDF conference in Australia, I got my first small flag "Holy Fire" from David Stanfield's collection. This flag I've used many, many times in worship, warfare and intercession. It has been wonderful and sometimes powerful to see how the Lord has been using the dance with "Holy Fire" in mighty ways. While in Australia I also had the opportunity while visiting friends. This dancing couple (from two different countries) encouraged me and prayed for my "husband to be" asking whether it would be okay if he came from another country. They also showed me the video from their wedding. That made a great impact on me, to see how the lovely bride with her bridesmaids danced into the church and up to the waiting groom, and then how the bridegroom burst out in the most joyful, strong dance for his beloved bride, showing his happiness for each and everyone. And I thought to myself "This is a special, precious stone that I will keep in my heart until the time will come" Two years later I received an e-mail from a man from Norway, asking to share his video "Heartdance" with me. So we started to prepare for a dance wedding. John: I believe God must have thought of Kristina when he gave me the idea of making a dance video in 2000. So many details on the video spoke something special to Kristina. Details I had never planned - such as the beautiful rainbow at the end of the video. Later I learned that God had spoken powerfully to Kristina through the rainbow on several occasions. The rainbow became the theme for our wedding. My first two flags I got from Kristina the first time we met in May 2003. I had up till then always improvised when I danced and couldn't really figure out how I could integrate flags into my dance. A couple of months later we both attended the ICDF conference in Dallas, Texas where David conducted a workshop on flags and banners. David's inspiring and practical teaching helped me get started, and I have enjoyed dancing with flags ever since and have bought many flags from "down under". It wasn't very difficult for Kristina to persuade me into the idea of a dance wedding ceremony. One dance that had been left out on my dance video, was called "To Eve", a passionate love dance from Adam to Eve. I felt then it was too early for that dance, but now the time had come (Kristina's first Christian name is Eva!). The wedding - May 8, 2004 in Gothenburg, Sweden Down at the front John stood waiting with his guys. The time had come for the bride to come out and dance before her beloved! John, dressed in his Norwegian national costume, was deeply moved as he saw his beautiful bride dance up the isle together with her bridesmaids. Afterwards it was the bridegroom's turn to dance his joy for the bride accompanied by his best man and his nephews who waved large colorful flags ("His Righteousness", "His Promises", "Holy Fire" and a large white flag) - all to the beat of wild African drums. There were dances and flags many times throughout the ceremony. A friend of ours did a beautiful dance to Psalm 126 with Israeli music. Whoever wanted was invited to wave a flag to "Celtic Hallelujah" in the song before the throne, when the groom danced with white and red flags and the bride with her bridal bouquet. After giving our vows (the greatest happening that day!) we did a choreographed dance together as a couple to a song from Song of Songs for the great Bridegroom, who is "radiant (white) and ruddy (red)". As a symbol for that we used two of David's banners; "His righteousness" and "Love". At the end the bridesmaid danced the 'Blessing' before we all left the church in a long, colorful "flag procession" closed by the pastor waving a large "Holy Fire" banner. To festival organ music all the guests followed through a gate of "blessing flags". It was fantastic to experience such a wonderful freedom of expression in our wedding. We were free to mix Swedish and Norwegian traditions, different styles of music - but most of all we were free to dance and use flags and were blessed by our friends' beautiful dances. Many guests expressed that they have been deeply touched. Some even said it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever seen! Some Norwegian guests asked - "Oh, is this the way they do it in Sweden?" while some Swedish guests commented "Wow, is this how they do it in Norway?" What a wedding! Kristina and John Rage Image gallery » Return to Banner Stories Index | ||||||||||||||||||
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