The Time of Singing Has Come

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Fellowship—Snacks or a meal (10 minutes or more)

Gathering Time (5-10 Minutes). Divide the group into smaller groups of two or three people and ask them to share with their partners something about the first time they fell in love. How old were they? Who was the object of their affections? How did it feel? How long did it last? What did they learn from it?

Group Dialogue (about 30 minutes). Read Song of Solomon 2:8-13.

• The Preaching Notes point out both the vivid imagery and the invocation of the senses in this passage. Divide the group in half; ask one half to identify the many images used (and how) and the other half to focus on how the senses are engaged. Ask: “How do these approaches open up the passage for you?”
• The Song of Solomon is, at its heart, a love poem. Some scholars point to this book as an allegory of God’s love for humankind, while others celebrate the goodness of what God has created as expressed in our physical nature. Can both these approaches be valid? Does it matter to you which one is “right”? What place does scripture that refers to sexual desire and sexual goodness have in your own understanding of faith?
• Later New Testament writings, such as James 1:27, seem to divide the physical (things of the world) from the spiritual, so that an element of “true faith” is “keeping oneself unstained by the world.” Ask: How do you reconcile all of what God has created (physical and spiritual) in your faith and worldview?
• Song 7:12 says, “The time of singing has come,” which might be more accurately translated as “the time of pruning.” In matters of the heart and in matters of the spirit, there is time for singing and time for pruning. What experiences have group members had in “singing” and “pruning”? How has that helped them grow?
• Verses 8-13 suggest that the time for the Beloved is now, but that also implies that things happen in their own time. Discuss: In your spiritual journey, what experiences of “now” time or “not yet” time have influenced the path of that journey? How has “no” or “not yet” or “now” influenced your growth?

Prayer (5-10 minutes) Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes) End with this prayer, followed by the Lord’s Prayer:

Loving God, who has created us in all our physical and spiritual fullness, we give you thanks for showing us that love is possible and that love is good. We lift up to you the frailties that disrupt or corrupt our love for you and for one another and pray that you reform us in grace. We ask this in the name of Christ. Amen.

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Diana Hynson is a retired elder, living in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She has served in local churches, as an editor at The United Methodist Publishing House, and as Director of Learning and Teaching Ministries at Discipleship Ministries. She teaches Sunday school to a lively group of older adults who still enjoy learning.