Readings for today: Song of Solomon 5:2-8:14, Psalms 45
“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. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.” (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)
I needed hope this morning. I don’t know about you but the events of this past week have weighed heavily on my soul. I’ve shed tears. I’ve spoken words. I’ve checked in on friends. I’ve listened voices far wiser and more bold than my own. I’ve grieved over the senseless death. The senseless violence. The senseless looting. I long for justice. I long for righteousness. I long for a more perfect union when a person will not have to wonder if they are being treated differently because of the color of their skin. And although I know progress has been made, it feels like we still have so far to go.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.” If I’m honest it feels like we still have so far to go and I’m tired. My strength is failing. My hope is fading. And if I’m feeling this way, I cannot imagine how my friends of color must feel. This is where God met me in our reading today. His love is as strong as death. His jealousy as fierce as the grave. I needed those words this morning. You see, the arc of the moral universe may be long indeed. It it certainly longer than my lifespan or even the lifespan of many generations. But God’s reach is even longer. It is God who bends the arc. It is God who is at work in our world to bring justice. And we can trust God to complete His work because of His great love. The floods of racism and classism cannot quench love. The fires burning in our cities cannot destroy love. Even if the richest man on the planet tried to buy it to possess it for his very own, his offer would be rejected out of hand. God’s love is free. God’s love is faithful. God’s love is priceless. God’s love is powerful. It gives strength to the weary. Hope to the hopeless. Help for the helpless.
So we set God’s love as a seal on our hearts. We wear it like a badge on our arms. We let our lives and loves and choices reflect the love of God. We make the love of God our aim in all we say and do not just personally but corporately in society as well. God’s love is the foundation for justice. God’s love is the root for all righteousness. God’s love must serve as the philosophical base for all our laws and public policy. God’s love must guide our leaders when they speak to us and on our behalf. Without God’s love we are lost. Wandering. Foolish. Afraid. With God’s love, we are found. Focused. Wise. Determined. May we cling to God’s love today!
Readings for tomorrow: Proverbs 1-4