True to God's Love
A reflection on Proper
17B: Song of Solomon 2:8-13 and James 1:17-27
My great-grandparents taught me about the value of
music and an appreciation for the earth as God’s creation. They were farmers in
southern Idaho. The house was a yellow Victorian with an old turret that housed
my great grandmothers’ sewing machine and fabrics for quilting. In the morning
we had fresh strawberries and milk for breakfast. Later we would homemade
chicken pot pie for supper, and in the evening my great grandmother played the piano
and sang old ragtime classics like “Frankie and Johnny.” I can still hear my
great grandmother as she played and sang:
Frankie and Johnny were lovers
Oh lordy, how they could love
Swore to be true to each other
Just as true as the stars above
He was her man, but he done her wrong
My great grandparents inspired my love of gardening..
For some reason I don’t know, my great grandparents left the Mormon Church and
became Christian Scientist. I remember them being deeply wedded to living a
natural life. I think of them as we prepare for our five week series, Season of
Creation. We’ll spend time during the Season of Creation reflecting on the ways
we are integrated and invested in the world around us.
This week, for us, serves as a time of transition
from the readings we heard all summer to the readings we will hear during the
Season of Creation: from reflecting on who we are as God’s people to reflecting
on how we act as God’s people. The movement from “who we are” to “how
we act” as God’s people began last week.
Last week I reflected on the Rock Center report on
the Mormon Church and my life growing up as a practicing Mormon. I commented on
the teachings of the church as I understand them and then connected those
teachings to the scripture readings we heard over the summer. I mentioned that,
like the ancient Hebrew people, the Latter Day Saints consider themselves to be
“God’s chosen” people. They are not alone in thinking this – other world religions,
past and present, hold a similar belief.
I then spoke about Solomon from the reading in 1
Kings, and how his expansive understanding of God turns the tide. Different
from Saul and David who married within their clan, Solomon had many wives from
different tribes and clan. These intercultural marriages revealed to Solomon the
broadness of God’s being and nature – God’s being is expansive.[i]
Solomon’s extended family lineage broke open Solomon’s idea of who God chooses
and how God acts in and through human life.
For Solomon, God chooses everyone.
For Solomon, God chooses everyone.
Last week’s reading in 1 Kings concluded our series
on the first three kings of ancient Israel – Saul, David, and Solomon. We are
left with the image of Solomon, the son of David, as a wise, generous king who worshipped
God in the fullest sense possible, led his people well, and honored his father
David. Solomon built the temple that David always wanted, and placed the Ark of
the Covenant in that temple. David’s dream come true.
And now we find ourselves considering the book of
James. It is very clever of the lectionary folk to give us this book next in
the cycle. Unlike many of the letters of
Paul, James is not a theological teaching it doesn’t offer a teaching about who
God is[ii].
Instead it presumes the reader knows who God is. James is a collection of teachings on the
practices of Christian life primarily asking this question: “What does a Christian do about her/his faith?
The book is assumed to be written by James, the
brother of Jesus, while he was in Jerusalem. But scholars have not found any critical
or substantive evidence to support this.
James is the
English translation of the Greek and Hebrew name “Jacob.” Jacob, in the Old Testament is the father of
the people who became known as the twelve tribes of Israel - and so it seems
more likely that this book was written as a call to unite Christians of the
early church, as a new tribe of Israel in the life and teachings of Jesus. The author urges Christians to be “quick to
listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Good
advice in any age.
Our
reading from the Song of Solomon also known as the Wisdom of Solomon, or the Song
of Songs in the Hebrew text, gives us some insight into our conduct, words, and
deeds. Historically this book is said to be a collection of songs written by Solomon
for one of his wives, Pharaoh’s daughter. But more likely it is a collection of
wedding songs and loose lyrics that celebrate human love, physical love. [iii]
Song
of Songs/Song of Solomon reminds us that God blesses our lives in many ways,
including the way we love other human beings. God blesses our sexuality. And it
points us to recognize that our love for another human being mirrors the depth
of God’s love for humanity. [iv]
As
we leave the summer season and enter our five week Season of Creation we are
asked to consider the expansive nature of God, manifesting in and through our
lives. We are called to reflect on how we tend to others, including animals,
plants and the world around us. What are we doing to help build relationships that
are whole and sacred as God desires? How are we acting as a people of God? Will we be true to God’s love? Or will we do
it wrong?
[i] Gafney,
Wil The Rev. Dr. commenting on the 11th Hour Preacher Party http://revgalblogpals.blogspot.com/2012/08/11th-hour-preacher-party-hard-sayings.html
[ii]
The Interpreter’s One Volume Commentary on the Bible: The Letter of James pg.
916; 1971 Abingdon Press
[iii]
The Interpreter’s One Volume Commentary on the Bible: The Wisdom of Solomon pg.
545; 1971 Abingdon Press
[iv] http://processandfaith.org/resources/lectionary-commentary/yearb/2012-09-02/proper-17
Comments
thanks.