Arise, my love, and come with me!

You may recognize this verse from Song of Solomon. It fits perfectly this week for a number of reasons. On a personal note, Christiane and I are are going on vacation to celebrate our 10 year anniversary next week.

I feel unbelievably blessed to have the privilege to be in a life-long commitment with Christiane.  I often look across the dinner table, or in church, or just walking through a store and think to myself, “Wow, how did I ever deserve such a beautiful, smart, and Godly woman” (I told you I was going to get personal!). Christiane and I are very different people, and I’m very grateful for how God has brought us together in beautiful harmony.

As much I want to say “Arise, my love, and come with me” to her in preparation for our vacation, I keep coming back to this verse in preparation for a wedding I’m performing tomorrow. Christiane and I have been meeting with a young couple over the last 6 months in preparation for their union.  It’s refreshing to see young love and we are excited about their life together.

In picking out the verses to be read in their ceremony, they chose this passage from Song of Solomon (also known as Song of Songs). It’s one I love, but for some reason it doesn’t get read at weddings very often.  It says:

Song of Solomon 2:10-13

My lover speaks and says to me,

“Arise, my friend, my beautiful one,

and come!

For see, the winter is past,

the rains are over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of pruning the vines has come,

and the song of the turtledove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.

Arise, my friend, my beautiful one,

and come!”

In commenting on why they chose this passage they said, “We really like the spring feel to this reading, especially being Springtime right now; and the feeling of fresh, new beginnings. However, do you think it is robust enough for a reading?”

It was a good and thoughtful question. “Is this robust enough?”  It infers they know the importance of the ceremony they will be going through and want to take it seriously.  They don’t want this to just be a poetic, flowery time, but a serious one.  Their commitment to each other will extend far beyond a ceremony, the flowers, and the party.  It involves the real stuff of real life.

Ultimately I think this is a perfect choice for a wedding reading.  The Song of Solomon has been interpreted both as a love poem from Solomon to his wife, but also an allegorical work of the love between God and his children.  I think it can be read both ways, and be pretty impactful in both contexts. Yet, it’s hard to imagine anything more powerful than the God of the universe saying something like this to you:  ‘The time of pruning is over, now the time of reaping the fruit of our relationship is here’.  

Every relationship has highs and lows; pruning and harvesting. Those of you who have been married many more decades than we have can attest to it.  Sometimes you may wonder if the ties that bind are strong enough.  You wonder if they will break.

However, if you are able to weather through those tough times, the spring-like freshness of a relationship that has endured the winter is wonderful.  As Christiane and I are gone next week, I’m grateful to be in this springtime season of our relationship. One of the verses read at our wedding was from a passage in Ecclesiastes 4 that says: “a threefold cord is not quickly broken”. It means for us that the foundation of our union is in God.

If you are in a winter because of difficulties in health, career, or just a season of coolness relationally, I would counsel you to not walk this season alone.  Please, keep inviting HIM to show up.  I’m here as your pastor to help, or find a therapist or maybe a wise friend to support and guide you. Think of your personal relationship with the Lord, and know He wants our earthly relationships to also reflect his glory. Don’t get stuck in a season, just waiting for it to pass. He can bring his peace and glory in the midst of your hardship.

This brings me to my last and most important point about this verse. You are the Bride of Christ.  You are the one God loves infinitely and unconditionally.  As we have entered this Eastertide, please remember his death, resurrection, and ascension with this verse in mind. The One, who knows you deeply and desires for you to be united with Him, in his deep satisfying love says to you: “Arise, my beautiful one, and come away”!

I pray you will press into that relationship and come to Him.

Blessings and Peace,

Rev. Todd