Rise Up and Go!
Did you know that the Bible contains love poetry? Once every three years, we read the Song of Songs by Solomon, though it might sometimes be skipped. This Sunday, we will read a very small portion of the Song of Songs and briefly explore the book together. In modern Judaism, the Song of Songs is read on the Sabbath during the Passover. The Israelites celebrate God's saving work during Passover, since God delivered them from the King of Egypt. Jewish tradition interprets the Song of Songs as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel, God’s love for Israel. Christians see it as an allegory of the relationship between Christ and the church, Christ’ love for the church.
The Song of Songs is often noted for giving us more of a woman’s voice than other parts of the Old and New testaments. The passage begins with the woman speaking: ‘Let him kiss me.’ She describes her lover appearing at her home, calling her outside into the awakening spring. The male character is depicted almost as part of the nature to which he calls the woman: he is a gazelle bounding over mountains. In contrast, the female character is portrayed as being inside; the man sees her from behind the wall of the courtyard and through the lattice of the window of the house. What do you think this means? What is the Song of Songs telling us who are living in 2024? One thing is very certain and clear: God loves the world so much that God gave God’s only Son Jesus Christ. Please come and listen to this love poetry from our God together.
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