Good Morning All!
Song of
Solomon 8:6; “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for
love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are
flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord”
Everyone loves a love story. Even if we say
we do not; we really do. We like to see or read where the two leads finally get
together, and true love prevails. Most of the greatest stories told are love
stories. Think of Romeo and Juliet or Anna Karenina or any one of the newer
stories. The love of the man for the woman which compels and drives them to be
together no matter what the odds or cost unites them as one.
This union is a true mystery; how do two
become one? We may not fully understand God’s ways or gifts, but we receive
them anyway. Part of that gift is the incredible love which God has for us as
his Church. He expresses his love for us through the sacrifice of Jesus and
then unites us with him in an eternal loving relationship. The Scriptures often
describes this as a marriage.
This is a portion of the great love ballad
in the Bible. It is the conversation between Solomon and his bride. It serves
as an allegory of Christ and the Church. Christ is the bridegroom, and the
Church is the bride. As we read this Book, we read about the incredible love of
Christ for His Church. We read of a love that is pure and freely given. It is a
love that does not ask anything of the recipient other than to accept the love
and to return the love.
God expresses his love for us in many ways.
Yet in this passage, we read where God will defend us and that relationship. God
is a jealous God who will defend from all unwanted suitors, like the devil. He
defends us with his mighty arm and protects with his gracious love. He gives us
a place where we are safe, in His strong but loving arms.
The love that God has for us is stronger
than we can ever imagine. He is there for us as the battles and turmoil of this
life surround us. He is there to comfort our pain, heal our sorrow and to
provide us hope. He is there to protect us from the devil with a jealous rage
that flashes fire. The passion of God’s love is deep for us. It consumes him
with the desire to save us from our sins and not to destroy us as we deserve. It
is this love that causes Him to see us as someone worth redeeming; someone who
he chooses to love.
He marks us with a seal, the seal of
Baptism. It is the sign which He marks us with to claim us as his own beloved
ones. Through Baptism we are marked and sealed with an everlasting love which
will bring us to eternal life. It is a sign, much like the wedding ring, that
we can always look to for the assurance of the faithful love of the one who
gave us the ring. Baptism is God’s sign
that we are eternally His beloved children.
Gracious Father, you
love us with a passion which is greater than anything that we can fathom. Keep
us close to you and deepen our love for you that we may be made worthy of you. In
Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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