The Time of Singing Has Come

Song of Solomon 2:8-13 (Song of Songs 2:8-13), New International Reader's Version

⁸ “Listen! I hear my love!
Look! Here he comes!
He’s leaping across the mountains.
He’s coming over the hills.
⁹ The one who loves me is like an antelope or a young deer.
Look! There he stands behind our wall.
He’s gazing through the window.
He’s peering through the screen.
¹⁰ He said to me, ‘Rise up, my love.
Come with me, my beautiful one.
¹¹ Look! The winter is past.
The rains are over and gone.
¹² Flowers are appearing on the earth.
The season for singing has come.
The cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
¹³ The fig trees are producing their early fruit.
The flowers on the vines are giving off their sweet smell.
Rise up and come, my love.
Come with me, my beautiful one.’ ”

New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Object:

United Methodist Hymnal

Message:

Raise your hand and tell me something you love. (Allow children to respond. Try to get a variety of responses from the children.). People experience many kinds of love—love for friends, love for members of the family. You may love your favorite sports team, the school you attend, or your country. There is also romantic love between two people. That’s the kind of love the Song of Songs is all about. It is a long poem about the love between two people.

In the poem, the two people take turns talking about their love for each other. This passage portrays the bride's excitement as she sees her beloved approaching. This poem reveals the bride’s and groom's love, emphasizing their love's beauty.

Listen to this verse. In the poem, the bride compares her beloved to an antelope or a young deer as she describes her groom’s strength and attractiveness.

⁹ The one who loves me is like an antelope or a young deer.
Look! There he stands behind our wall.
He’s gazing through the window.
He’s peering through the screen.

Then, the groom invites his bride-to-be to rise and go away with him.

¹⁰ He said to me, ‘Rise up, my love.
Come with me, my beautiful one.

Did you hear the phrase in the poem that tells of the seasons changing?

Look! The winter is past.
The rains are over and gone.
¹² Flowers are appearing on the earth.
The season for singing has come.

This verse of the poem talks about the changing seasons, with winter giving way to spring. And this means new beginnings and a season of joy. Raise your hand if you feel excited when the seasons change. Raise your hand if you love the snow on a wintery day. Raise your hand if you love the warmth of a summer day. Raise your hand if you love the blooming of flowers in spring. Blooming flowers makes me think of a beautiful Easter Sunday morning.

The cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
¹³ The fig trees are producing their early fruit.
The flowers on the vines are giving off their sweet smell.

The blooming flowers and the voice of the dove in this verse of the poem represent the beauty found in the couple’s love. This poem uses the beautiful sights from nature to describe their love.

Maybe reading this poem makes you feel a little embarrassed. Maybe reading this poem sounds a little mushy. It’s a little like reading someone else’s love letters.

However, this poem reminds me of a song in our hymnal. I would like to share hymn 92, “For the Beauty of the Earth,” with you. (If possible, have your worship leader lead in singing this song. Incorporate it into your worship service.) Listen to the words of “For the Beauty of the Earth.” (Consider the time constraints of your worship service. Feel free to select certain verses of this hymn.)

1. For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

2. For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

4. For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

5. For thy church, that evermore
lifteth holy hands above,
offering up on every shore
her pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

6. For thyself, best Gift Divine,
to the world so freely given,
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

Did you hear words and images in this hymn that are similar to those in the Song of Solomon? What did you hear that was the same? (Allow the children to answer.) I heard human love, friends on earth, love of the church, tree and flower, and love of God.

Reading this beautiful poetry in the Bible or singing a lovely hymn shows us that we don’t have to be shy or embarrassed when we talk about the love between two people. It is part of God’s wonderful design of creation – a gift to be grateful for. From this hymn and the poem found in scripture, we learn of the importance of discovering the beauty of God in our relationships with nature and one another. God is the creator of all the beautiful things mentioned in this poem and hymn. God even created how we love. I love that!

Prayer:

God of love, pour out your love on all people. Help us to see reflections of your great love in every kind of love a person experiences. Teach us to look for you in our relationships with friends, family, and future partners. May we learn from the hymn and appreciate the beauty of love and the joy it brings. For the beauty of this earth and in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.