An Awful Sacrifice
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
For July 5, 2020:
Say You Love Me (But Stay Six Feet Away)
by Chris Keating
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Admit it: it’s tempting to wonder what Song of Solomon is doing in the Bible, let alone the lectionary. The long wailing song coming from the pastor’s office this week might sound something like, “Song of Solomon! On Fourth of July weekend, and in the middle of a pandemic!” It could make a Sunday school teacher blush.
But before rifling through files for a trusty word about Old Glory, take a moment to consider these lines that once moved Origen to write a ten-volume commentary. Song of Solomon prompted none other than Bernard of Clairvaux to cry out for God to “kiss me with the kiss of the mouth.” There is a rich legacy of Christian interpretation in this little book, which may have special relevance in our contemporary world.
Consider its importance in a time when social distancing has upended dating norms. The writer’s sheer delight in beauty offer a pleasing break from the toxic pathogens that have consumed our attention. Song of Solomon speaks words of loving connection to a world forced to stand six feet apart.
Today’s star struck lovers are more likely to chat on video screens than garden windows. Covid-19 has helped social dating apps and online sites to evolve beyond hookup culture, bringing new features some have heralded as influencing dating culture in positive ways. Social distancing has made the heart grow fonder through video chatting, virtual happy hours and even apps designed to foster global connections. “Coronacrush,” a Jewish dating group on Facebook, emerged from a company that assists Jewish persons in detecting genetic disorders such as Tay-Sachs disease. It’s all about adaptation, baby!
The voice of the beloved calls to us this week. These oft-neglected stanzas could assist the church to speak passionately about love instead of only moralistically. The lush poetry calls our attention to the pure gift of God, and will likely resonate with communities longing for interaction, mutuality, and the rich abundance of love’s delight....more to come tomorrow...
SECOND THOUGHTS
Now You See It — Now You See It!
by Tom Willadsen
Romans 7:15-25a
In the Scriptures
I’m focusing solely on the reading from Romans today. Paul is probably writing autobiographically about his struggles to live the faith, perhaps live up to the faith that he has found in Jesus Christ. He falls short. He wants to do good. He knows better, but he doesn’t always get it right. I am reading Paul through the lens of his current struggles as he describes them and laments them. Another reading is possible and worth developing homiletically — perhaps Paul is describing his life before he found Christ or Christ found him. His pre-Christian life was one of constantly falling short, of being puzzled by moral failings that are all the more obvious because of his knowledge of the Torah. Such a reading points the sermon to a celebration of grace and the humble dependence we all have on it. My approach is to regard Paul’s (and our) struggles as present tense, post-conversion reality. We know better; we want to do and be better, yet we fall short. Paul’s explanation — or perhaps description — is a better term for this reality. It is a near personification of sin.
Paul goes full bore into how horrible he is “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body of death?” Well, of course the rescue is all the more dramatic because the wretchedness is so profound. If it weren’t for the grace of Christ, one might be tempted to urge therapy and certain anti-depressants.
In the News
A month ago we were lamenting Covid-19’s dominance of the news. Those of you who longed for another news story to come along as a kind of vacation from wall-to-wall pandemic updates got your wish. The killing of George Floyd in police custody sparked a new kind of conversation about race in the United States. Breonna Taylor’s killing during the serving of a no knock warrant in Louisville, Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery’s killing after being hunted by men in pick-up trucks in Georgia, have all led to a new kind of awakening among white people in the United States. In the past three weeks Black Lives Matter demonstrations have taken place in communities where very few black people live: Red Oak, Iowa, Oconto, Wisconsin, Havre, Montana and Clarkston, Michigan, for example. Perhaps this is a sea change, indicating that the United States is ready to face our painful, shameful history as a nation built on, and oblivious to, the pain of black people.
The week of June 28, 2020, 13 of the top 15 titles on the New York Times best-selling non-fiction list dealt with race, most of the titles focusing on how we can talk about race.
The top three titles: How to Be an Anti-Racist, White Fragility, and So You Want to Talk about Race, hold up a mirror to the nation. We want to act; we want to make a difference; we want to change the world! And at the same time we see our best efforts, our purest intentions often are unwelcome and unappreciated.
The story is told of a white man who attend a study circle to talk about racism who turned to the lone black person in the room and earnestly confessed, “I want you to help me stop being racist.” The woman did not return. He made an effort. He made a sincere effort, I believe, but the conversation — and therefore his conversion — went nowhere.
Many black people feel a weariness and express a guardedness about the efforts of white people to finally wake up. There are plenty of websites, TED talks, podcasts, books, movies and TV shows that can educate white people. “Do your own reading; I am not your tutor.” For many white people, we’re hearing, apparently for the first time, the voices of people’s long silenced — to borrow language from the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s “Brief Statement of Faith, adopted in 1991. Those voices have been speaking for centuries; we’re just getting around to hearing them now.
All you who thought you understood racism because “I have a black friend,” who had never heard of Juneteenth, have a long way to go. We, as a nation, have a long way to go.
And here’s the thing: Even the most open-minded, tolerant, cosmopolitan people routinely say things that are insensitive and hurtful to marginalized people. This happens All. The. Time. And we are only aware of a very small proportion of these incidents. There are plenty of places we can learn about micro-aggressions and it can be very discouraging, because the more you see, the more you see.
The term “White Privilege” is finding its way into mainstream discussions. It is a term that causes immediate defensiveness and has supernatural power to quash honest dialogue. One aspect of White Privilege that Robin Diangelo, author or “White Fragility” points out, is that white people can always walk away from painful discussions. White fragility itself, Diangelo contends, is a way that White Privilege is protected. We feel so bad when we recognize the pain we’ve caused that we tend to go into full apology mode (FAM), this is my term. A typical response from a majority person when his hurtful behavior is exposed is to go into a rant like this, “I am so sorry. You know I didn’t mean it. I’m trying, I’m really trying and I know I did it again. I hope you can be patient with me and forgive me. I’m a good person. You know I’m a good person…” I know FAM; I have acted it out more times than I care to say. And FAM is completely sincere. I really, really do feel bad, and I did not intend to be insulting. The problem with FAM, however, is it can have the effect of bullying the person who has just been hurt into forgiving the person who has just done the hurting. Isn’t that the ultimate privilege? With my stellar intentions, on steroids, I can with passion and sincerity receive absolution from the very person who has just been harmed. Again.
And there I am, feeling like Paul, wallowing in my wretchedness. Wallowing. Do you see me wallowing down here? Little help?
Ouch. Oops.
Ouch. Oops. is a way to respond when you realize you’ve hurt someone. While it works in painful discussions about racism and the personal toll racism exacts on marginalized people everyday, it is a good way to apologize in nearly every situation. Here’s how it works: When someone points out something you’ve done that is hurtful — that’s the “Ouch.” you reply, “I’m sorry,” that’s the “Oops.” That’s all. All you say is “I’m sorry.” Not “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean it.” Or “I’m sorry you’re so touchy about this.” Or “I’m sorry you can’t get over it.” Or “I’m sorry, but I’ve been using that term all my life and I don’t see why you people need to keep changing your minds and going all PC on good people like me.”
When you step on someone’s toe in the elevator, you say, “I’m sorry.” You can add, “I didn’t mean to,” but usually that’s not necessary, the person whose toe you’ve stepped on knows it was an accident. Apologizing — only apologizing — is the best response. The moment you try to explain why the comment that caused the harm was intended to be humorous, or innocuous, you put the person you’ve just harmed into a position of trying to understand your explanation, to see the situation through your eyes — and drag the whole thing out longer!
My youth pastor told me, “When you do something crappy, you should feel crappy.” (He may not have used “crappy,” but you get the idea.) That’s exactly the way it should be with hurting someone’s feelings by being insensitive, bigoted, racist, whatever. Live with the pain you’ve caused. Own it. Feel it. That’s all. You are the expert of your intentions; she is the expert of her reaction. There may come a time, in another context, perhaps when emotions are not as high and the pain not as raw, that you can say, “I am very sorry I hurt you. I do not want to hurt you again. Would you be willing to help me understand what I did and how to avoid hurting you in the same way again?” You’re not defending. You are opening yourself up, making yourself vulnerable and you may hear even more pain — and then feel even more pain afterward. Let the pain and embarrassment teach you. Feel it. Own it.
In the Sermon
In the midst of all of this eagerness to be better, kinder and more sensitive, you will make mistakes. Lots of them. And you’ll discover in life’s rearview mirror even more that you have made through the years. You made mistakes. You are a beloved child of God.
Paul needed grace, and grace alone could take away his self-diagnosed wretchedness. One experience of grace, a true, authentic experience of grace is life-changing.
Very early in my career I was co-presiding at a funeral. As the associate I was given the task of reading Psalm 121, “I lift my eyes to the hills….” I went to the microphone and read Psalm 120. Halfway through something didn’t seem right. I scanned ahead and found that Psalm 120 did not end horribly, though it was not the best fit for the occasion. After the service I went into FAM, “I am so sorry. I read the wrong psalm!” I was expecting to be chastised for not being better prepared for the lofty task of leading public worship — buckle down, try harder, pay attention, bad Associate! Bad, bad. Instead, grace sounded like this, “You made a mistake. You’re going to make another.” My colleague was correct. In fact, I proved that he was correct in less than five minutes. But I made fewer after that. Knowing that I could fail and survive made it easier for me to relax, to be honest, to trust, to forgive myself and even to forgive other people, because they also, on occasion, make mistakes too.
Don’t let your wretchedness be the end of the story.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Romans 7:15-25a
Who Will Rescue Me from this Body of Death?
Paul laments, as we all do, that he can’t mange to do the good things he wants to do, or keep away from the things he would rather avoid. Writer Gretchen Rubin, who studies habits, says that we have to know ourselves. Some of us are Moderators, who can have a little of something and then stop. Ohers of us are Abstainers. Rubin says, “this is a strategy where you have to know yourself. Because it works really well for some people, like me, and doesn’t work at all for other people. Abstainers are people who do better when they give up something altogether. I can eat no Thin Mints or I can eat ten Thin Mints, but I can’t eat two Thin Mints. I’m an abstainer … resisting temptation altogether. If French fries are your Kryptonite — whatever it is — just give it up altogether. That’s easier for you. It sounds harder, but it’s actually easier. The moderators do better when they have something sometimes or they have a little bit. Often, if they know they can have something, they don’t even want it. They do better when they do have a little bit that they allow themselves. This is true for food, but also for things like technology. If you can’t play a little Candy Crush, maybe you want to play no Candy Crush.” Paul may have tried to be a Moderator, when he should have been an Abstainer. Or vice versa.
She adds, for those of us still thinking about this, “But often, people just decide what they think their habit should be, or they look at what Benjamin Franklin did, or what their brother-in-law did, and try to copy it. But in fact, what you have to do is ask, “What’s true about me? What do I notice about myself? What’s my nature?” One of her strategies for doing the good that we would do is what she calls Pairing. “One that I took for granted — it seems so obvious to me but many people really loved it — is the strategy of pairing: when you pair something that you like to do with a habit that you perhaps don’t enjoy as much. Very often people will pair going on the treadmill or the stationary bike with watching television. If they can only watch Game of Thrones when they’re on the treadmill, then they’re suddenly much more excited about going on the treadmill. Or, maybe you’re cleaning in the morning, and you’re listening to podcasts.”
We may yet be able to move toward the good that we would do.
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a
Getting to Better
The apostle Paul bemoans his failure to conquer the thorn in his side, and says that that praying about it hasn’t helped it go away. Author James Clear says that we need more than changing our minds, or spirits, to change our habits. We can change our beliefs any time, and still we need the deeper changes in our behavior. Our minds are fickle, as Paul well knows. “What I mean by that is, doing one pushup, that doesn't transform your body overnight, but it does cast a vote for, "I'm the type of person who doesn't miss workouts." And no, writing one sentence does not finish the novel, but it does cast a vote for, "I'm a writer." So I think what we could say is, your habits are how you embody a particular identity. Every time you make your bed, you embody the identity of somebody who is clean and organized. Every time you study biology for 20 minutes on Tuesday night, you embody the identity of someone who is studious. Every time you shoot a free throw, you embody the identity of someone who is a basketball player.
If you do those things once, or twice, no, you don't make something radically different about yourself, but if you keep showing up, and every Tuesday you study, or every morning you make the bed, or every week you show up and practice basketball, at some point you cross this invisible threshold. Maybe it's three months, or six months, or a year later, but at some point you start to think, "Yes, being a clean, organized person is part of who I am," or "I am studious," or "I am a basketball player," like that's part of my identity.
So I think the summary, the way I think about this connection, is that every action you take is like a vote for the type of person you want to become, and this is probably the true reason that habits matter so much.”
He adds this example for us. “I have this reader, his name's Mitch, and he ended up losing over 100 pounds, and for the first six weeks that he went to the gym, he had this rule for himself where he wasn't allowed to stay for longer than five minutes. So he would get in the car, drive to the gym, get out, do half an exercise, get back in the car, and drive home. And it sounds ridiculous, it seems silly, like it's not going to get him the results he wants, but if you step back, what you realize is that he was mastering the art of showing up. He was becoming the type of person that went to the gym, even if it was just for five minutes.”
That, plus prayer, may help us with our own stubbornly thorny issues.
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a or Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
The Burden of Mask Wearing / The Social Good We Want To do
As the science about the transmission of Covid-19 evolves, we understand more about the importance of wearing masks to protect the people around us. Most people aspire to be good public citizens, and some find mask-wearing inconvenient or easy to forget. Others claim the mask is an unfair burden, and excuse themselves from it. Public health officials are pondering how to make masks manly, so men will embrace the mask. With a spike in cases, former Vic President Dick Cheney took up the cause. “Cheney was on his daughter’s Twitter account. He wore a navy fleece vest, a tan cowboy hat and, covering everything from his chin to the bridge of his nose, a standard pale blue surgical mask.” His daughter, Liz Cheney, a Wyoming congresswoman wrote: “Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK.” Men are not embracing the mask, and “We’ve reached the point of this polarized pandemic where our current plan for salvation is convincing certain recalcitrant men that wearing masks is the testosteroney thing to do.”
Men see wearing a mask in public as un-manly, “believing them to be “shameful,” “a sign of weakness,” and “not cool”—even though men are at higher risk than women of dying from coronavirus infection. A similar pattern has emerged during prior pandemics and across other areas of health: Men—especially those who endorse traditional masculine gender norms—have been less likely than women to engage in protective health behaviors.”
There is a social cost for all of us in the mask era. An epidemiologist says, “Let’s be real: Americans are beat-down and run-down after months of loss and social isolation. Masks do keep people from seeing facial expressions and hearing voices clearly, both vital elements of social connection. Masks don’t deprive people of oxygen, but they do make it harder to breathe freely. They fog up people’s glasses. They make noses itch and faces sweat. Many masks feel decidedly uncool. They are yet another thing to remember when walking out the front door. And, most of all, masks are a constant reminder of what Americans so desperately want to forget: that despite all of our sacrifices, the pandemic hasn’t gone anywhere.”
As one writer says, we should do whatever works. “If more recalcitrant men will wear masks if we convince them that doing so makes them look like Jason Momoa or one of the brothers Hemsworth, let’s do that. Whatever. Sounds good. More than 123,000 Americans have died. #RealMenWearMasks. Let’s spray paint it on every sidewalk in the country, hire skywriters to scribble it up and down the Gulf coastline. Get Lee Greenwood to write a song.”
We can coax ourselves into sharing the burden of mask wearing, and into doing the good we want to do.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Meeting on Facebook
The well is the traditional meeting place for young people in the Bible, and so much great flirting happens around the well. In our time, computer screens take the place of the well, as disability rights activist Corey Gilmore tells it. Gilmore and his beloved remind us that romance isn’t just for the young and physically perfect. As he tells it, “Alaska and Maine couldn’t be farther apart. So I was skeptical when my friend suggested I chat online with Sabrina, a woman she knew in Juneau, Alaska. But I sent Sabrina a friend request on Facebook and she accepted. I checked out the pictures on her page. She had cerebral palsy like me, and a huge smile. “Where was this photo taken?” I asked her, using my voice recognition software. Cerebral palsy can make typing difficult. “An art competition,” she answered. “I love to draw and paint.” “Me too!” I said. Over the next few months, we got to know each other. Sabrina told me about mentoring students with disabilities. “I teach Sunday school,” I told her.”
On day, Sabrina said, “God is very important to me.” Gilmore says, “That did it. Sabrina just might be the girl for me, I thought. The 4,000 miles between us didn’t seem to matter anymore.” He moved to Alaska to be with her, and has re-established his life there, including serving on the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education. Gilmore says, “A friend and the Internet brought us together, but Sabrina and I know angels made the love connection.” Just like meeting at the well!
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: The voice of God, our beloved, calls to us.
People: God comes with the energy of a young stag.
Leader: God calls to us, “Arise, my love, and come to me.”
People: God calls to us in the newness of all creation.
Leader: The time of ripe fruit and love is upon us.
People: The time to come to God is here.
OR
Leader: God calls us in love and righteousness.
People: We hear God’s call and long to respond.
Leader: God calls to us in the depths of our being.
People: We want to respond but we do not.
Leader: God calls and offers us the Spirit for our strength.
People: In the strength of God’s Spirit we will answer.
Hymns and Songs:
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELW: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
AAHH: 138/139/140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18/19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELW: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52/53/65
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
UMH: 138
H82: 645/646
PH: 171
NCH: 248
LBW: 456
ELW: 502
Renew: 106
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
The Gift of Love
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
All Who Love and Serve Your City
UMH: 433
H82: 570/571
PH: 413
CH: 670
LBW: 436
ELW: 724
W&P: 625
This Is My Song
UMH: 437
NCH: 591
CH: 722
ELW: 887
STLT: 159
Be Thou My Vision
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELW: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
Come Down, O Love Divine
UMH: 475
H82: 516
PH: 313
NCH: 289
CH: 582
LBW: 508
ELW: 804
W&P: 330
One Bread, One Body
UMH: 49
CH: 393
ELW: 496
W&P: 689
CCB: 49
We Are One in Christ Jesus (Somos uno en Cristo)
CCB: 43
O How He Loves You and Me!
CCB: 38
Renew: 27
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is love:
Grant us the grace to be so filled with your love
that it overflows to all we meet this week;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the God of love. Your love fills all creation and calls to us in each person we meet. Help us to greet you in everyone we come in contact with this week. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to see your love in everyone we meet.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are selective in our love. We offer it to those who are willing to return it to us or who have something else to give us. We want to be more loving but we fail continually. We think about love and we talk about love but our love is conditional. Forgive us and renew us with your Spirit so that we may love others as you love us and them. Amen.
Leader: God is love and is always willing to love others through us. Receive God’s grace and share it with all you encounter this week.
Prayers of the People
All glory, honor, and praise are yours by right, O God, for you are the love that upholds all creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are selective in our love. We offer it to those who are willing to return it to us or who have something else to give us. We want to be more loving but we fail continually. We think about love and we talk about love but our love is conditional. Forgive us and renew us with your Spirit so that we may love others as you love us and them.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which your love is made manifest in creation. We thank you for the beauty that speaks of your love through the tiniest flower and through the wonders of galaxies. We thank you for your love which fills creation and which is shown in the smile of an infant. We thank you that you made us in love and have filled us with your love so that we may share it with others.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your creation. We pray for our siblings in Christ and for the tiniest of creatures that you have made. You have made them all in love and we honor you as we care for them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
I love my parents and I love my children. I love thunderstorms and quiet lakes with smooth waters. I love ice cream and the beauty of a bright starry night. I love God and I love my cat. All of these seem so different and it looks like this love should be different. But it is all the same because all of these things have been made by God and are loved by God. God is love and whenever we love something or someone we share God’s love with them.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Arise, My Beloved
by Dean Feldmeyer
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Recruit: (a.) someone to read the passage with an over-the-top vocal interpretation and (b.) two kids from the group to act out the passage as you coach them along through the reading.
Props: (Optional but awesome if you can find them.)
A tree branch with leaves (real or artificial), a small (12”X12”) piece of lattice (optional), Viking hat with horns, artificial fig (or apple), flower (real or artificial), binoculars, small piece of poster board with bricks painted on it, an empty picture frame.
Begin by saying:
Did you know that there are love stories in the Bible? Well, there are. There’s the story of Jacob and Rachel. And there’s the story of David and Bathsheba. And there’s the story of Abraham and Sarah, and Ruth and Boaz.
But the most famous love story in the Bible is found in a book called the “Song of Solomon,” or sometimes called the “Song of Songs.” It’s a series of poems written by two young people, a boy and a girl who are in love with each other. Oh, boy, are they in love. They go on and on about how beautiful each other is and, today’s lesson is from one of those poems.
And do you know what goes really well with poems and songs? Hand motions. So, today, we’re going to learn some hand and body motions so we can act out the poem while _____________ reads it for us. Just do what I do, okay? Okay, here we go.
The voice of my beloved!
(Cup hand to ear and listen.)
Look!
(Use binoculars or put hand above eyes and look afar off.)
He comes, leaping upon the mountains,
(Run a few steps and leap like a ballet dancer.)
Bounding over the hills.
(Run back and leap again.)
My love is like a gazelle or a young stag.
(Hands to each side of the head with fingers forming antlers.)
Look!
(Binoculars or hand over eyes, looking.)
There he stands, behind our wall,
(Lean over and lean to the side, head tilted, peeking, around poster board wall or as though around a wall.)
Gazing in at the window
(Use picture frame or rame face with hands, make eyes big, and silly face, like looking in a window.)
Looking through the lattice.
(Hold leaves and or lattice before face with one hand, pull them aside with the other.)
My beloved speaks and says to me:
(Cup hand to ear to mime listening as a male voice says, in an exaggerated bass voice -- )
“Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;
(Yawn and wake up, walk a few steps as if being hand-led by another person)
for now the winter is past,
(Shiver as though you are cold)
the rain is over and gone.
(Hold invisible umbrella over your head, reach beyond it to catch rain in hand)
The flowers appear on the earth;
(Pick flower and smell it)
the time of singing has come,
(Operatic stance, maybe sing a few notes. Viking hat with horns would be an awesome bonus.
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in the land.
(Cup hand to ear and make “coo’ing sound.”)
The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom;
(Pick fig and take a bite.)
they give forth fragrance.
(Oops, take fig out of mouth and smell it. Pop it back into mouth.)
Arise my love, my fair one,
(Yawn and stretch.)
and come away.
(Join hands and off you go, skipping down the aisle and out with all kids following the same way.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 5, 2020 issue.
Copyright 2020 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- Say You Love Me (But Stay Six Feet Away) by Chris Keating — The voice of the beloved calls to us this week. The lush poetry calls our attention to the pure gift of God, and will likely resonate with communities longing for interaction, mutuality, and the rich abundance of love’s delight.
- Second Thoughts: Now You See It — Now You See It! by Tom Willadsen — We can all relate to Paul’s struggles. We know better; we want to do and be better, yet we fall short. Paul’s explanation, or perhaps description, is a near personification of sin.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin and Ron Love.
- Worship resources by George Reed that focus on love and relationships; actually doing what we want to do.
- Children’s sermon: Arise, My Beloved by Dean Feldmeyer.
- More to come soon...
Say You Love Me (But Stay Six Feet Away)by Chris Keating
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Admit it: it’s tempting to wonder what Song of Solomon is doing in the Bible, let alone the lectionary. The long wailing song coming from the pastor’s office this week might sound something like, “Song of Solomon! On Fourth of July weekend, and in the middle of a pandemic!” It could make a Sunday school teacher blush.
But before rifling through files for a trusty word about Old Glory, take a moment to consider these lines that once moved Origen to write a ten-volume commentary. Song of Solomon prompted none other than Bernard of Clairvaux to cry out for God to “kiss me with the kiss of the mouth.” There is a rich legacy of Christian interpretation in this little book, which may have special relevance in our contemporary world.
Consider its importance in a time when social distancing has upended dating norms. The writer’s sheer delight in beauty offer a pleasing break from the toxic pathogens that have consumed our attention. Song of Solomon speaks words of loving connection to a world forced to stand six feet apart.
Today’s star struck lovers are more likely to chat on video screens than garden windows. Covid-19 has helped social dating apps and online sites to evolve beyond hookup culture, bringing new features some have heralded as influencing dating culture in positive ways. Social distancing has made the heart grow fonder through video chatting, virtual happy hours and even apps designed to foster global connections. “Coronacrush,” a Jewish dating group on Facebook, emerged from a company that assists Jewish persons in detecting genetic disorders such as Tay-Sachs disease. It’s all about adaptation, baby!
The voice of the beloved calls to us this week. These oft-neglected stanzas could assist the church to speak passionately about love instead of only moralistically. The lush poetry calls our attention to the pure gift of God, and will likely resonate with communities longing for interaction, mutuality, and the rich abundance of love’s delight....more to come tomorrow...
SECOND THOUGHTSNow You See It — Now You See It!
by Tom Willadsen
Romans 7:15-25a
In the Scriptures
I’m focusing solely on the reading from Romans today. Paul is probably writing autobiographically about his struggles to live the faith, perhaps live up to the faith that he has found in Jesus Christ. He falls short. He wants to do good. He knows better, but he doesn’t always get it right. I am reading Paul through the lens of his current struggles as he describes them and laments them. Another reading is possible and worth developing homiletically — perhaps Paul is describing his life before he found Christ or Christ found him. His pre-Christian life was one of constantly falling short, of being puzzled by moral failings that are all the more obvious because of his knowledge of the Torah. Such a reading points the sermon to a celebration of grace and the humble dependence we all have on it. My approach is to regard Paul’s (and our) struggles as present tense, post-conversion reality. We know better; we want to do and be better, yet we fall short. Paul’s explanation — or perhaps description — is a better term for this reality. It is a near personification of sin.
Paul goes full bore into how horrible he is “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body of death?” Well, of course the rescue is all the more dramatic because the wretchedness is so profound. If it weren’t for the grace of Christ, one might be tempted to urge therapy and certain anti-depressants.
In the News
A month ago we were lamenting Covid-19’s dominance of the news. Those of you who longed for another news story to come along as a kind of vacation from wall-to-wall pandemic updates got your wish. The killing of George Floyd in police custody sparked a new kind of conversation about race in the United States. Breonna Taylor’s killing during the serving of a no knock warrant in Louisville, Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery’s killing after being hunted by men in pick-up trucks in Georgia, have all led to a new kind of awakening among white people in the United States. In the past three weeks Black Lives Matter demonstrations have taken place in communities where very few black people live: Red Oak, Iowa, Oconto, Wisconsin, Havre, Montana and Clarkston, Michigan, for example. Perhaps this is a sea change, indicating that the United States is ready to face our painful, shameful history as a nation built on, and oblivious to, the pain of black people.
The week of June 28, 2020, 13 of the top 15 titles on the New York Times best-selling non-fiction list dealt with race, most of the titles focusing on how we can talk about race.
The top three titles: How to Be an Anti-Racist, White Fragility, and So You Want to Talk about Race, hold up a mirror to the nation. We want to act; we want to make a difference; we want to change the world! And at the same time we see our best efforts, our purest intentions often are unwelcome and unappreciated.
The story is told of a white man who attend a study circle to talk about racism who turned to the lone black person in the room and earnestly confessed, “I want you to help me stop being racist.” The woman did not return. He made an effort. He made a sincere effort, I believe, but the conversation — and therefore his conversion — went nowhere.
Many black people feel a weariness and express a guardedness about the efforts of white people to finally wake up. There are plenty of websites, TED talks, podcasts, books, movies and TV shows that can educate white people. “Do your own reading; I am not your tutor.” For many white people, we’re hearing, apparently for the first time, the voices of people’s long silenced — to borrow language from the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s “Brief Statement of Faith, adopted in 1991. Those voices have been speaking for centuries; we’re just getting around to hearing them now.
All you who thought you understood racism because “I have a black friend,” who had never heard of Juneteenth, have a long way to go. We, as a nation, have a long way to go.
And here’s the thing: Even the most open-minded, tolerant, cosmopolitan people routinely say things that are insensitive and hurtful to marginalized people. This happens All. The. Time. And we are only aware of a very small proportion of these incidents. There are plenty of places we can learn about micro-aggressions and it can be very discouraging, because the more you see, the more you see.
The term “White Privilege” is finding its way into mainstream discussions. It is a term that causes immediate defensiveness and has supernatural power to quash honest dialogue. One aspect of White Privilege that Robin Diangelo, author or “White Fragility” points out, is that white people can always walk away from painful discussions. White fragility itself, Diangelo contends, is a way that White Privilege is protected. We feel so bad when we recognize the pain we’ve caused that we tend to go into full apology mode (FAM), this is my term. A typical response from a majority person when his hurtful behavior is exposed is to go into a rant like this, “I am so sorry. You know I didn’t mean it. I’m trying, I’m really trying and I know I did it again. I hope you can be patient with me and forgive me. I’m a good person. You know I’m a good person…” I know FAM; I have acted it out more times than I care to say. And FAM is completely sincere. I really, really do feel bad, and I did not intend to be insulting. The problem with FAM, however, is it can have the effect of bullying the person who has just been hurt into forgiving the person who has just done the hurting. Isn’t that the ultimate privilege? With my stellar intentions, on steroids, I can with passion and sincerity receive absolution from the very person who has just been harmed. Again.
And there I am, feeling like Paul, wallowing in my wretchedness. Wallowing. Do you see me wallowing down here? Little help?
Ouch. Oops.
Ouch. Oops. is a way to respond when you realize you’ve hurt someone. While it works in painful discussions about racism and the personal toll racism exacts on marginalized people everyday, it is a good way to apologize in nearly every situation. Here’s how it works: When someone points out something you’ve done that is hurtful — that’s the “Ouch.” you reply, “I’m sorry,” that’s the “Oops.” That’s all. All you say is “I’m sorry.” Not “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean it.” Or “I’m sorry you’re so touchy about this.” Or “I’m sorry you can’t get over it.” Or “I’m sorry, but I’ve been using that term all my life and I don’t see why you people need to keep changing your minds and going all PC on good people like me.”
When you step on someone’s toe in the elevator, you say, “I’m sorry.” You can add, “I didn’t mean to,” but usually that’s not necessary, the person whose toe you’ve stepped on knows it was an accident. Apologizing — only apologizing — is the best response. The moment you try to explain why the comment that caused the harm was intended to be humorous, or innocuous, you put the person you’ve just harmed into a position of trying to understand your explanation, to see the situation through your eyes — and drag the whole thing out longer!
My youth pastor told me, “When you do something crappy, you should feel crappy.” (He may not have used “crappy,” but you get the idea.) That’s exactly the way it should be with hurting someone’s feelings by being insensitive, bigoted, racist, whatever. Live with the pain you’ve caused. Own it. Feel it. That’s all. You are the expert of your intentions; she is the expert of her reaction. There may come a time, in another context, perhaps when emotions are not as high and the pain not as raw, that you can say, “I am very sorry I hurt you. I do not want to hurt you again. Would you be willing to help me understand what I did and how to avoid hurting you in the same way again?” You’re not defending. You are opening yourself up, making yourself vulnerable and you may hear even more pain — and then feel even more pain afterward. Let the pain and embarrassment teach you. Feel it. Own it.
In the Sermon
In the midst of all of this eagerness to be better, kinder and more sensitive, you will make mistakes. Lots of them. And you’ll discover in life’s rearview mirror even more that you have made through the years. You made mistakes. You are a beloved child of God.
Paul needed grace, and grace alone could take away his self-diagnosed wretchedness. One experience of grace, a true, authentic experience of grace is life-changing.
Very early in my career I was co-presiding at a funeral. As the associate I was given the task of reading Psalm 121, “I lift my eyes to the hills….” I went to the microphone and read Psalm 120. Halfway through something didn’t seem right. I scanned ahead and found that Psalm 120 did not end horribly, though it was not the best fit for the occasion. After the service I went into FAM, “I am so sorry. I read the wrong psalm!” I was expecting to be chastised for not being better prepared for the lofty task of leading public worship — buckle down, try harder, pay attention, bad Associate! Bad, bad. Instead, grace sounded like this, “You made a mistake. You’re going to make another.” My colleague was correct. In fact, I proved that he was correct in less than five minutes. But I made fewer after that. Knowing that I could fail and survive made it easier for me to relax, to be honest, to trust, to forgive myself and even to forgive other people, because they also, on occasion, make mistakes too.
Don’t let your wretchedness be the end of the story.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:Romans 7:15-25a
Who Will Rescue Me from this Body of Death?
Paul laments, as we all do, that he can’t mange to do the good things he wants to do, or keep away from the things he would rather avoid. Writer Gretchen Rubin, who studies habits, says that we have to know ourselves. Some of us are Moderators, who can have a little of something and then stop. Ohers of us are Abstainers. Rubin says, “this is a strategy where you have to know yourself. Because it works really well for some people, like me, and doesn’t work at all for other people. Abstainers are people who do better when they give up something altogether. I can eat no Thin Mints or I can eat ten Thin Mints, but I can’t eat two Thin Mints. I’m an abstainer … resisting temptation altogether. If French fries are your Kryptonite — whatever it is — just give it up altogether. That’s easier for you. It sounds harder, but it’s actually easier. The moderators do better when they have something sometimes or they have a little bit. Often, if they know they can have something, they don’t even want it. They do better when they do have a little bit that they allow themselves. This is true for food, but also for things like technology. If you can’t play a little Candy Crush, maybe you want to play no Candy Crush.” Paul may have tried to be a Moderator, when he should have been an Abstainer. Or vice versa.
She adds, for those of us still thinking about this, “But often, people just decide what they think their habit should be, or they look at what Benjamin Franklin did, or what their brother-in-law did, and try to copy it. But in fact, what you have to do is ask, “What’s true about me? What do I notice about myself? What’s my nature?” One of her strategies for doing the good that we would do is what she calls Pairing. “One that I took for granted — it seems so obvious to me but many people really loved it — is the strategy of pairing: when you pair something that you like to do with a habit that you perhaps don’t enjoy as much. Very often people will pair going on the treadmill or the stationary bike with watching television. If they can only watch Game of Thrones when they’re on the treadmill, then they’re suddenly much more excited about going on the treadmill. Or, maybe you’re cleaning in the morning, and you’re listening to podcasts.”
We may yet be able to move toward the good that we would do.
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a
Getting to Better
The apostle Paul bemoans his failure to conquer the thorn in his side, and says that that praying about it hasn’t helped it go away. Author James Clear says that we need more than changing our minds, or spirits, to change our habits. We can change our beliefs any time, and still we need the deeper changes in our behavior. Our minds are fickle, as Paul well knows. “What I mean by that is, doing one pushup, that doesn't transform your body overnight, but it does cast a vote for, "I'm the type of person who doesn't miss workouts." And no, writing one sentence does not finish the novel, but it does cast a vote for, "I'm a writer." So I think what we could say is, your habits are how you embody a particular identity. Every time you make your bed, you embody the identity of somebody who is clean and organized. Every time you study biology for 20 minutes on Tuesday night, you embody the identity of someone who is studious. Every time you shoot a free throw, you embody the identity of someone who is a basketball player.
If you do those things once, or twice, no, you don't make something radically different about yourself, but if you keep showing up, and every Tuesday you study, or every morning you make the bed, or every week you show up and practice basketball, at some point you cross this invisible threshold. Maybe it's three months, or six months, or a year later, but at some point you start to think, "Yes, being a clean, organized person is part of who I am," or "I am studious," or "I am a basketball player," like that's part of my identity.
So I think the summary, the way I think about this connection, is that every action you take is like a vote for the type of person you want to become, and this is probably the true reason that habits matter so much.”
He adds this example for us. “I have this reader, his name's Mitch, and he ended up losing over 100 pounds, and for the first six weeks that he went to the gym, he had this rule for himself where he wasn't allowed to stay for longer than five minutes. So he would get in the car, drive to the gym, get out, do half an exercise, get back in the car, and drive home. And it sounds ridiculous, it seems silly, like it's not going to get him the results he wants, but if you step back, what you realize is that he was mastering the art of showing up. He was becoming the type of person that went to the gym, even if it was just for five minutes.”
That, plus prayer, may help us with our own stubbornly thorny issues.
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a or Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
The Burden of Mask Wearing / The Social Good We Want To do
As the science about the transmission of Covid-19 evolves, we understand more about the importance of wearing masks to protect the people around us. Most people aspire to be good public citizens, and some find mask-wearing inconvenient or easy to forget. Others claim the mask is an unfair burden, and excuse themselves from it. Public health officials are pondering how to make masks manly, so men will embrace the mask. With a spike in cases, former Vic President Dick Cheney took up the cause. “Cheney was on his daughter’s Twitter account. He wore a navy fleece vest, a tan cowboy hat and, covering everything from his chin to the bridge of his nose, a standard pale blue surgical mask.” His daughter, Liz Cheney, a Wyoming congresswoman wrote: “Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK.” Men are not embracing the mask, and “We’ve reached the point of this polarized pandemic where our current plan for salvation is convincing certain recalcitrant men that wearing masks is the testosteroney thing to do.”
Men see wearing a mask in public as un-manly, “believing them to be “shameful,” “a sign of weakness,” and “not cool”—even though men are at higher risk than women of dying from coronavirus infection. A similar pattern has emerged during prior pandemics and across other areas of health: Men—especially those who endorse traditional masculine gender norms—have been less likely than women to engage in protective health behaviors.”
There is a social cost for all of us in the mask era. An epidemiologist says, “Let’s be real: Americans are beat-down and run-down after months of loss and social isolation. Masks do keep people from seeing facial expressions and hearing voices clearly, both vital elements of social connection. Masks don’t deprive people of oxygen, but they do make it harder to breathe freely. They fog up people’s glasses. They make noses itch and faces sweat. Many masks feel decidedly uncool. They are yet another thing to remember when walking out the front door. And, most of all, masks are a constant reminder of what Americans so desperately want to forget: that despite all of our sacrifices, the pandemic hasn’t gone anywhere.”
As one writer says, we should do whatever works. “If more recalcitrant men will wear masks if we convince them that doing so makes them look like Jason Momoa or one of the brothers Hemsworth, let’s do that. Whatever. Sounds good. More than 123,000 Americans have died. #RealMenWearMasks. Let’s spray paint it on every sidewalk in the country, hire skywriters to scribble it up and down the Gulf coastline. Get Lee Greenwood to write a song.”
We can coax ourselves into sharing the burden of mask wearing, and into doing the good we want to do.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Meeting on Facebook
The well is the traditional meeting place for young people in the Bible, and so much great flirting happens around the well. In our time, computer screens take the place of the well, as disability rights activist Corey Gilmore tells it. Gilmore and his beloved remind us that romance isn’t just for the young and physically perfect. As he tells it, “Alaska and Maine couldn’t be farther apart. So I was skeptical when my friend suggested I chat online with Sabrina, a woman she knew in Juneau, Alaska. But I sent Sabrina a friend request on Facebook and she accepted. I checked out the pictures on her page. She had cerebral palsy like me, and a huge smile. “Where was this photo taken?” I asked her, using my voice recognition software. Cerebral palsy can make typing difficult. “An art competition,” she answered. “I love to draw and paint.” “Me too!” I said. Over the next few months, we got to know each other. Sabrina told me about mentoring students with disabilities. “I teach Sunday school,” I told her.”
On day, Sabrina said, “God is very important to me.” Gilmore says, “That did it. Sabrina just might be the girl for me, I thought. The 4,000 miles between us didn’t seem to matter anymore.” He moved to Alaska to be with her, and has re-established his life there, including serving on the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education. Gilmore says, “A friend and the Internet brought us together, but Sabrina and I know angels made the love connection.” Just like meeting at the well!
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: The voice of God, our beloved, calls to us.
People: God comes with the energy of a young stag.
Leader: God calls to us, “Arise, my love, and come to me.”
People: God calls to us in the newness of all creation.
Leader: The time of ripe fruit and love is upon us.
People: The time to come to God is here.
OR
Leader: God calls us in love and righteousness.
People: We hear God’s call and long to respond.
Leader: God calls to us in the depths of our being.
People: We want to respond but we do not.
Leader: God calls and offers us the Spirit for our strength.
People: In the strength of God’s Spirit we will answer.
Hymns and Songs:
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELW: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
AAHH: 138/139/140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18/19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELW: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52/53/65
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
UMH: 138
H82: 645/646
PH: 171
NCH: 248
LBW: 456
ELW: 502
Renew: 106
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
The Gift of Love
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
All Who Love and Serve Your City
UMH: 433
H82: 570/571
PH: 413
CH: 670
LBW: 436
ELW: 724
W&P: 625
This Is My Song
UMH: 437
NCH: 591
CH: 722
ELW: 887
STLT: 159
Be Thou My Vision
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELW: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
Come Down, O Love Divine
UMH: 475
H82: 516
PH: 313
NCH: 289
CH: 582
LBW: 508
ELW: 804
W&P: 330
One Bread, One Body
UMH: 49
CH: 393
ELW: 496
W&P: 689
CCB: 49
We Are One in Christ Jesus (Somos uno en Cristo)
CCB: 43
O How He Loves You and Me!
CCB: 38
Renew: 27
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is love:
Grant us the grace to be so filled with your love
that it overflows to all we meet this week;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the God of love. Your love fills all creation and calls to us in each person we meet. Help us to greet you in everyone we come in contact with this week. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to see your love in everyone we meet.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are selective in our love. We offer it to those who are willing to return it to us or who have something else to give us. We want to be more loving but we fail continually. We think about love and we talk about love but our love is conditional. Forgive us and renew us with your Spirit so that we may love others as you love us and them. Amen.
Leader: God is love and is always willing to love others through us. Receive God’s grace and share it with all you encounter this week.
Prayers of the People
All glory, honor, and praise are yours by right, O God, for you are the love that upholds all creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are selective in our love. We offer it to those who are willing to return it to us or who have something else to give us. We want to be more loving but we fail continually. We think about love and we talk about love but our love is conditional. Forgive us and renew us with your Spirit so that we may love others as you love us and them.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which your love is made manifest in creation. We thank you for the beauty that speaks of your love through the tiniest flower and through the wonders of galaxies. We thank you for your love which fills creation and which is shown in the smile of an infant. We thank you that you made us in love and have filled us with your love so that we may share it with others.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your creation. We pray for our siblings in Christ and for the tiniest of creatures that you have made. You have made them all in love and we honor you as we care for them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
I love my parents and I love my children. I love thunderstorms and quiet lakes with smooth waters. I love ice cream and the beauty of a bright starry night. I love God and I love my cat. All of these seem so different and it looks like this love should be different. But it is all the same because all of these things have been made by God and are loved by God. God is love and whenever we love something or someone we share God’s love with them.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMONArise, My Beloved
by Dean Feldmeyer
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Recruit: (a.) someone to read the passage with an over-the-top vocal interpretation and (b.) two kids from the group to act out the passage as you coach them along through the reading.
Props: (Optional but awesome if you can find them.)
A tree branch with leaves (real or artificial), a small (12”X12”) piece of lattice (optional), Viking hat with horns, artificial fig (or apple), flower (real or artificial), binoculars, small piece of poster board with bricks painted on it, an empty picture frame.
Begin by saying:
Did you know that there are love stories in the Bible? Well, there are. There’s the story of Jacob and Rachel. And there’s the story of David and Bathsheba. And there’s the story of Abraham and Sarah, and Ruth and Boaz.
But the most famous love story in the Bible is found in a book called the “Song of Solomon,” or sometimes called the “Song of Songs.” It’s a series of poems written by two young people, a boy and a girl who are in love with each other. Oh, boy, are they in love. They go on and on about how beautiful each other is and, today’s lesson is from one of those poems.
And do you know what goes really well with poems and songs? Hand motions. So, today, we’re going to learn some hand and body motions so we can act out the poem while _____________ reads it for us. Just do what I do, okay? Okay, here we go.
The voice of my beloved!
(Cup hand to ear and listen.)
Look!
(Use binoculars or put hand above eyes and look afar off.)
He comes, leaping upon the mountains,
(Run a few steps and leap like a ballet dancer.)
Bounding over the hills.
(Run back and leap again.)
My love is like a gazelle or a young stag.
(Hands to each side of the head with fingers forming antlers.)
Look!
(Binoculars or hand over eyes, looking.)
There he stands, behind our wall,
(Lean over and lean to the side, head tilted, peeking, around poster board wall or as though around a wall.)
Gazing in at the window
(Use picture frame or rame face with hands, make eyes big, and silly face, like looking in a window.)
Looking through the lattice.
(Hold leaves and or lattice before face with one hand, pull them aside with the other.)
My beloved speaks and says to me:
(Cup hand to ear to mime listening as a male voice says, in an exaggerated bass voice -- )
“Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;
(Yawn and wake up, walk a few steps as if being hand-led by another person)
for now the winter is past,
(Shiver as though you are cold)
the rain is over and gone.
(Hold invisible umbrella over your head, reach beyond it to catch rain in hand)
The flowers appear on the earth;
(Pick flower and smell it)
the time of singing has come,
(Operatic stance, maybe sing a few notes. Viking hat with horns would be an awesome bonus.
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in the land.
(Cup hand to ear and make “coo’ing sound.”)
The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom;
(Pick fig and take a bite.)
they give forth fragrance.
(Oops, take fig out of mouth and smell it. Pop it back into mouth.)
Arise my love, my fair one,
(Yawn and stretch.)
and come away.
(Join hands and off you go, skipping down the aisle and out with all kids following the same way.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 5, 2020 issue.
Copyright 2020 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
