Talk about Romance!
Talk about the joy of sensual desire and intimacy!
Way before Danielle Steele.
Way before romance novels.
Way before Fifty Shades of Gray and all that.
Way before the great romantic poets, before Byron, before Shelley before Browning.
Way, way before all that, there was the Song of Songs.
Some folks call it the Song of Solomon or the Canticle of Canticles.
But I call it the Song of Songs, or just simply The Song.
“Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come.”, eight chapters of the most beautiful and sensual language in human history celebrating the desire and delight of man and woman for each other.
The Song of Songs. Nowhere does it mention God, or prayer, or any religious practice or tradition. “Arise my love my fair one and come away.”, just simply eight chapters of delight in the other.
What is going on? Why is it in Bible? Here is an interesting fact, in all of history there have been more bible commentaries written about Song of Songs than any other book in the Bible, except for Genesis and the Psalms. An unexpected third place.
What is going on? Is it the least religious book in the Bible or…is it the most religious?
People argue over whether it is purely secular erotic poetry or a metaphor for the delight of God for God’s people.
I think it is both.
Christian mystics have always loved the language and imagery of desire found in the Song, God calling to us with great and passionate love.
I think the Song is about the restoration of all things, the great healing of creation, the return to the garden, the return to Eden. The winter is over, the flowers appear , the vines are in blossom.
The world has been trapped in a long winter, a time of withering and dying and in the Song we are given a vision of Life returning to a fallen world, where all the great divisions and wounds and sickness have ended.
The winter is ending, the flowers have some back, singing has started, arise and come away.
This is the language of resurrection. We awaken on that great day to song and flowers and the words, “Arise my love, my fair one and come away.”
In a very real sense all the love we now know, especially the love between a man a woman, is a sacrament of the resurrection, when all is healed, all restored, when love is delight, and delight is love.
We are given a vision, hope, a foretaste.
The winter is ending, the flowers are about to bloom, the singing is about to start, arise and come away, my love, my fair one.
Talk about romance!
Talk about the joy of sensual desire and intimacy!
The Song of Songs!