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September 2, 2018

Love Comes

Mary C. Lindberg   |   Read Song of Songs 2:8-13

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Lectionary Week
August 27 – September 2, 2018
Scripture Overview

The poetry of Song of Solomon is thick with romantic imagery, and most scholars agree that these lines mean what they say on the surface; they are written from the author to the beloved. Psalm 45 echoes the refrain of admiration and desire. Such desire is not wrong if it is awakened at the proper time, as the author of Song of Solomon says elsewhere. James argues that ethical living is done not in word but in deed. True religion is not putting on a show but displaying mercy and controlling the tongue. Jesus rebukes some of the religious leaders in Mark on this very account because they talk of obedience to God but do not live it out. What we say and what we do should match.

Questions and Suggestions for Reflection

• Read Song of Solomon 2:8-13. The narrative poetry of Song of Solomon invites us into the Bible in a way that differs from other texts. How does God speak to you through this poetry?
• Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9. Intimate human love can reflect God’s love. How do your relationships honor the gift of love?
• James 1:17-27. How do you bring God’s love to those who need it?
• Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. Are you simply going through the motions of faith, or is your heart close to God?

Respond by posting a prayer .

Song of Songs 2:8-13

8 Listen! It’s my lover: here he comes now, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills. 9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands now, outside our wall, peering through the windows, peeking through the lattices. 10 My lover spoke and said to me, “Rise up, my dearest, my fairest, and go. 11 Here, the winter is past; the rains have come and gone. 12 Blossoms have appeared in the land; the season of singing has arrived, and the sound of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The green fruit is on the fig tree, and the grapevines in bloom are fragrant. Rise up, my dearest, my fairest, and go.

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible. Used by permission.

Song of Solomon is one of the briefest books in the Old Testament with only one hundred seventeen verses organized into eight short chapters. However, as its other name, Song of Songs, implies, this book is treasured as one of the loveliest in the Bible. Perhaps because it focuses on...

God of mystery, your love comes in Bible poetry. May we hear your sacred language. Amen.


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