Rev. George Miller
July 19, 2026
Song of Songs 1:1-17
Into a world full of chaos and confusion
comes a sacred pause to embrace passion and love.
Into a time of wondering “what does it
matter?” comes an oasis singing “Stay awhile and use your senses to see and
smell, taste and touch, listen and be embraced.”
Into an era where people easily pull apart
is a love song that ends with two people leaning on each other for support and
unification.
Into a world in which innocence can be
ripped away is a moment in a garden filled with trust and calm.
“Oh you who dwell in the gardens, my
companions are listening for your voice; let me hear it.”(Song of Songs
8:13 or SOS 8:13)
Please repeat after me-
“Unity.”
“Calm.”
“Trust.”
“Amen.”
Today we journey into the private grounds
of two lovers who want nothing more than to be as close as two people can
possibly be.
The Song of Songs is among the highest
regarded writings in the Bible. Called
“The Holiest of Holies,” it ranks up there with Genesis and Psalms
as generating the most commentary.
In the Jewish community, the Song of Songs
is read during Passover, on the Sabbath in the synagogue, in its entirety.
Which is stunning because not once is God
mentioned or the Law or Isreal’s history.
Instead this song focuses on lovers who
simply can’t get enough of each other, using multiple images to express how
much they care, trust, and long for each other.
Imagery of nature, agriculture and
animals, metropolitan meccas and royal places, natural phenomena and perfumes.
In the Jewish writings, this book is
situated between Job and Ruth.
In our Protestant Bible it is placed between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah.
How fascinating since Ecclesiastes is
about how pointless life seems and Isaiah explores the unraveling of
Isreal due to unloving actions.
Since July 5 we’ve been immersed in the
Ecclesiastes world with a teacher who thought life was pointless, who found
hope in unity, food, drink, and enjoying what you work hard for.
Song of Songs unashamedly adds a 5th
reason to live- LOVE; wild, passionate, amor.
These are the words spoken between two lovers, one who is bronzed from toiling
in the sun and another who lives a royal life.
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of my
mouth.” (SOS
1:1)
“Oh that his left hand were under my head
and that his right hand embraced me!” (SOS 2:6)
“You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no flaw in you.”(SOS
4:7)
“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is
mine…” (SOS
6:3a)
Why would this collection of erotic lyrics
be gathered among the sacred texts, elevated to holiness?
We can say how cool that our faith sees
embodied love and sensuality as beautiful and heavenly.
We can point to how the images of
springtime, renewal and unity are a reminder of how they’re gifts meant to be
celebrated.
We can also say that this love song is a
metaphor for the relationship between Isreal and God. How it shows the ways in which God yearns to
be in relationship with us, even if we are sunburned and exhausted. How God will always choose us.
We could also say that this is a love song
between Jesus and the universal Church.
An allegory in which we as the church are
out in the field, doing the work, participating in the harvest, yearning for
the presence of Christ and grateful for his love.
Jesus is the lover who seeks us out,
watches over us and cherishes the church.
From this allegorical reading we can imagine
a closeness with Christ that is more than just thoughts and ideas, but dialogue
and delight, closeness and unified joy.
And incarnation.
In other words, to say “we are the hands
and feet of Christ” means that we are part of this garden relationship in which
God’s love is embodied with our presence, kindness, and care.
That in Christ, when we say “love grows
here” it means we are playful and intentional, trusting and looking forward to
the next time we gather.
That in Christ the words we speak are
sweet like kisses, our faces radiate like ornaments of gold, and our souls long
for comfort in the heat of noon.
Today’s scripture is among the most
studied of all, having a sacred place for our Jewish sisters and brothers,
woven into the celebration of Passover and freedom from Pharoah’s brutality.
In some ways, we can catch images of it in
the relational presence we see in our Lord.
How Jesus took time to speak with
Nicodemus in the middle of night. How
Jesus took time to speak to the Samaritan women in the middle of the day.
On that 1st day of
resurrection, Jesus stood in the garden with a weeping Mary Magdelen, gently
calling her name.
Christ stood before the disciples and said
“Peace be with you.” He said to Peter
“Do you love me? Feed my sheep.”
All of these have an element of the
intimacy and closeness we hear in today’s reading.
Even though God is not mentioned once in the
Song Of Songs, we witness the gifts of generous love, gifts of generous
trust, and the gifts of generous calm.
For a world that can be one of chaos,
questions and pulling apart, this reading is an oasis that refreshes and
restores, empowering us to find ways to be those hands, be those feet, and be
that heart.
For that, let us say “amen.”
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