Back in 1967, the guys in the house where I lived all decided to write music for our impending weddings. My piece, “Arise, My Love” turned out quite well, I think. At any rate, the text lives on; as do the other exhortions we read today in preparation for the upcoming weekend services. These indicate a matter of priorities: what really means something in our daily lives.
Some commentators will say that SONG OF SONGS 2:8-13 is to describe the mystical relationship of God with the Church. Well, maybe. But I opt for the face-value song of appreciation between a lover and his lass which celebrates the earthly infatuation of very human youth! The winter has indeed been long and icy–but now the rains are over and gone! “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world!” Your congregation is invited to dance with God in joy for the proliferation of young lovers…
JAMES wrote his letter to the Greek-speaking new Christians in Asia Minor; and here in 1:17-27 he plunges right into the core of his message: “But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act–they will be blessed in their doing.” Again, a matter of priorities. Evidently some of these folks thought that saying Christian words would be enough, that it didn’t matter what they did. The One who rejoices over human love continues to rejoice when this love is expanded to all Creation, both in personal morality and social justice.
Some of the old rules had their purpose, others were merely poses. MARK 7 elaborates on this with the confrontation of Jesus and the Good People about eating restrictions: the disciples of Jesus didn’t wash their hands correctly before eating! Oh, come on! Jesus went on to say that whatever goes into the body through the mouth is mere nutrition, however you see it–but what comes OUT of the body (usually through the mouth) is harmful to the person AND society: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, slander, pride, folly…. So what do YOU discard? Better, so what will you embrace?
At the weddings I’ve officiated, I often tell the groom, “Well, now your troubles are at an end!” But I never told him WHICH end… Still, God celebrates Young Lovers and those who choose to Be Doers and those who know that holiness is more than the proper rituals! We’re told to get our priorities straight.
In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King
Several of you have made my day by telling others about our weekly examination of and by Scripture to be heard on the upcoming weekend! All are invited to horacebrownking.com every Tuesday.
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