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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion God regards us as his bride January 17, 2010 |
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Frontline Devotion for Sunday, January 17, 2010 by Susan Hill.
Isaiah 62:3-5 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hands of the Lord,
And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
And your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
But you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
And your land Married;
For the Lord delights in you,
And your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
So shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you. (NRSV)
“My baby sparkle and shine
Sparkle and shine
Sparkle and shine
My baby sparkle and shine
And everyone knows she’s fine…
She don’t love no one but me,
And I can’t believe she’s mine.
Two of our young friends will get married in a few months. In today’s style, they have set up a website for anticipated wedding guests telling not only sweet stories about their courtship but also important facts about the upcoming wedding weekend. Our couple chose country singer, Steve Earle’s, song, “My Baby Sparkle and Shine” (see above) as background music for their website. When I checked out the site last week, I was struck by “Sparkle and Shine’s” ability to help the listener see and feel through the eyes of a young lover. The lyrics are simple, but they capture that nearly palpable attraction that connects people in love’s first bliss. Hearing the song, we go there too, remembering that breath-stopping thrill of encountering our beloved. Sparkle and shine is a shared entity. We say to ourselves, “Yes! Right! I get it! They have a good thing going!”
Interestingly, in Isaiah 62 God adores Jerusalem (God’s intended) in the same way our young bridegroom-to-be adores his “baby.” Jerusalem attracts God’s undivided attention. There’s a pledge of devotion and marriage. It’s poetic, and it’s electric. Most importantly, God’s love is described in human terms, and we can understand it. We are reminded of King Solomon’s declaration to his bride in Song of Solomon 4, “You are altogether beautiful my love, there is no flaw in you … you have ravished my heart … how sweet is your love, my sister, my bride.” God’s love for God’s people vibrates with life. It is fresh, and sweet; full of appreciation, wonder, and promise.
God’s ardent desire to love and forgive overcame the disappointment and tragedy of Israel’s history. Even though Jerusalem and her people were not faithful to God, God forgave her sins and called her back to him in Isaiah’s love song. God forgot Jerusalem’s sins taking on the garland of a bridegroom and comparing Jerusalem to a bride wearing sparkling and shining jewels. Because God claims us in water and Word, each day becomes our wedding day. We are washed, cleaned, freed. We are called and recalled to committed relationship. We are adored. We sparkle and shine in the reflection of God’s love. It’s a matter of mutual faith and trust … of covenant … of irrevocable promises made in the heat of passion and sealed by Jesus Christ.
I believe if we have experienced human love, we have felt the hot breath of God with us. Thanks be to God!
Prayer: Dear God of Love and Life, You call us to new beginnings, and you give us opportunities to know and love you. Continue to reach out to us and to lift us up in love. Give us courage to respond openly and fully to your offerings of forgiveness and faithfulness. In Jesus name, Amen.