4TH WEEK OF ADVENT

Your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.

Does this passage make you feel as if you’ve stumbled into the middle of a romance novel? The Song of Songs is, in fact, a series of love poems. It doesn’t even mention God by name one time! So you wouldn’t be the first person to ask why this book is in the Bible.

One of the answers scholars have suggested is that the romantic love between the man and woman in this book is symbolic of the love between God and his people. This may seem odd at first, but the Bible often uses married, romantic love as an analogy for our union with God (Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 2:2; Matthew 25:1-13).

We are accustomed to thinking of God as our Father, whose guiding and forgiving love for us is like that of a parent for a child. But using romantic love as an analogy for God’s love can open up new insights. Anyone who has been in love will tell you how elated and excited they feel. All they want is to be with their beloved, to savor their beauty, and to do special things for them.

God’s love for you is like this, but even greater. It’s deeper, more encompassing, and stronger and purer than any romantic love you will ever experience. And in just a few days, we will celebrate one of the most dramatic expressions of that love: the Son of God becoming a man so that he could win back our love.

When we think of Jesus’ time among us, we tend to focus on his sufferings. He dealt with poverty, rejection, ridicule, and a painful death. But another side of this story emerges when you imagine Jesus as the lover in today’s first reading: a young man springing across mountains and hills in his eagerness to be with you. He sees your sins and your struggles, but he also sees the beauty of God’s image in you and your potential for holiness. His love for you isn’t muted. It bursts forth, like the sun rising over a distant mountain. It’s always flowing, like a rushing river. And it’s meant for you.

As Christmas approaches, remember that Jesus is running eagerly toward you, his heart full of love. He will never stop pursuing you.

“Jesus, thank you for your faithful, persistent love.”

Song of Songs 2:8-14
Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
Luke 1:39-45