Sermon – Proverbs 31:10-31 – A Strong Church

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Proverbs 31:10-31 – A Strong Church

September 20, 2015

            Today we conclude our look at God's wisdom in the Book of Proverbs.  We now know to always follow Miss Wisdom and not Miss Folly.  We know that we are to be generous towards others less fortunate than ourselves.  We know that to ignore Miss Wisdom is a sin for which we must repent and accept the wisdom of God in the Bible to live a blessed life.  Today Miss Wisdom will tell us what kind of church Christ is looking for.  We will get to this, but first let's pray.

            May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

            Our Bible talks about the relationship between a husband and a wife in many places.  And it consistently tells us that the relationship between a husband and a wife is similar to the relationship God's people have with God.  Just as a husband loves a wife so too does God love his people.  Just as a wife may be unfaithful to her husband so too may the people of God be unfaithful to their creator.  And as Christians we believe that just as a man and woman become one in marriage so too does Christ and his church become one in faith.  Today Miss Wisdom will tell us the characteristics of a strong wife.  These are also the characteristics of a strong church of Jesus Christ.  Let's see what she says.

Proverbs 31:¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.

            We learn from this that it is difficult for Christ to find a strong church.  There seem to be churches on every street corner.  But very few churches are up to the standards that Christ has set.  A strong church is rarer and therefore more precious than fine jewels.  So let’s begin to look at some of the characteristics of a strong church.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.

            A strong church has the full confidence of Jesus Christ to faithfully proclaim his gospel.  Therefore it is endowed with all of God’s blessings.  We use the blessings we receive from God to bless others.  We love each other and love our neighbors in the community.  A strong church serves it community by doing good works and proclaim the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.  Let’s look at some of the things a strong church does.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.

            A strong church works hard to see that everyone has clothes to wear and food to eat.    A strong church would collect previously worn clothing for a rummage sale, and would sell this clothing at a nominal price.  Also a strong church would provide breakfast for international students working in the community in the summer, and would provide its neighbors with a much needed social gathering and breakfast during the winter months.  A strong church would have strong programs providing food and clothing to people who need it.  Let’s go back to Proverbs.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.

            A strong church will take care of its own members.  No matter the hour, day or night, if someone in the church has a need a strong church will take care of it.   It may be in the hospital, or at the side of the road after a traffic accident, or just on the phone, a strong church will care for its members.  Shut-ins will be visited. New moms will be helped.  The sick will be prayed for.  All these things happen in a strong church.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.

            A strong church will build a sanctuary, a fellowship hall, parking lot and classrooms for Christian education.  It will provide housing and salary for its pastor.  It will hire musicians, buy instruments and hymnals.  It will provide for community by providing space for home owners associations and county adult education.  Its members will give from the blessings they have received from God to support its ministry and mission.  A strong church is supported by its members abundantly.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

            A strong church will supplement its giving with fundraisers.  It will get up at the crack of dawn to cook breakfasts, arrange items for a rummage sale, and sell parking spaces for a fishing tournament.  Volunteers will work tirelessly to make sure everything get done.   They will pick up mail, prepare for communion, setup the audio systems and the projector, turn on the furnace or air conditioning, hang banners outside of the church, and do countless things that never get noticed, but are necessary for a well-functioning church.  Let’s go back to Miss Wisdom.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

            A strong church will care for the poor in the community.  It will provide funds to help people with rent and utilities.  It supports food banks and homeless shelters with volunteers and money.  It provides space and volunteers for a cold weather shelter in the winter.  It volunteers to help immigrants with English.  It is respected in the community for all it does.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.

            A strong church is beautiful church.  Its communion table is covered in fine fabric and a beautiful cross.  Walls are covered with colorful banners.  Flowers in the garden are weeded and watered.   Blankets are knitted for hospice patients.  Pill bottles are collected and sent to Africa.  All of this is done out of respect of our Lord Jesus Christ and for the glory of the Father.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

            A strong church will have Christian education classes for all ages.  There will be weekly Bible studies.  Songs will be sung in praise of the Lord.  Biblical preaching will be for the equipping of God’s people with God’s wisdom.  A strong church will make new disciples and help all its member to grow into the full stature of Christ.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:

            A strong church will have good financial controls.  Its budget will be balanced.  Its bills will be paid on time.  Its financial statements will be accurate and clear.  Its employees will be well trained and motivated.  Its volunteers will be highly active.  People will notice how well the church operates, as will Christ.

²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

            But the most important thing that characterizes a strong church is that it holds God in high reverence.  Everything it does is not for its own gain, but for God’s glory.  All its members are growing as disciples.  And there is a passion for bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ.

³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

           

            First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City is a strong church.  It has the full confidence of Jesus Christ to do his work in this community.  Jesus is honored by our breakfasts and rummage sales and parking rentals.  Jesus praises us for our giving and the stewardship of the blessings we have received.  God is revered in our Bible Studies and worship.  God is worshiped and praised with our music.  Jesus Christ has confidence in us and will send us members and visitors who need us.   And the Holy Spirit will be with us as we bring new people to Christ and invite people to our church.  Let us pray.

            Lord Jesus, we thank you for giving us a strong church.  Continue to bless our work with your presence and love.  Help us to make our church even stronger by inviting new people into our fellowship.  This we pray in your glorious name as the head of our church.  Amen.

Sermon – Proverbs 1:20-33 Repent and be Saved

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Proverbs 1:20-33 Repent and be Saved

September 13, 2015

            This morning we return to the Book of Proverbs and hear from Miss Wisdom.  We already know that it is better to follow Miss Wisdom and not follow Miss Folly.  We know that Miss Wisdom says that it is wise to be generous with those in need because this corrects the imbalance sin has caused in an otherwise world of abundance.  Today we will see what happens if, sadly, someone chooses not to be wise and does foolish things.  We will get to this, but first let's pray.

            May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

            Let's begin with a word about Miss Wisdom.  Miss Wisdom is not a real person.  There was no flesh and blood woman named Wisdom in biblical times.  Rather the author of Proverbs is using a literary technique called personification.  What's happening here is that the biblical author is explaining an abstract concept by giving it characteristics of a person.   The abstract concept is that you should be wise by following God's instruction for life.  The author personified this by saying that Miss Wisdom says you should be wise by obeying God's instruction.

            We use this technique of personification all the time.  From 1977 to 2011 General Motors referred to their service department as Mr. Goodwrench.  There was no mechanic named Mr. Goodwrench.  GM called their service departments this name to express the abstract idea that they provide good service.  In the same way that GM used the name Mr. Goodwrench the author of the Book of Proverbs used the name Miss Wisdom. 

            With this is mind let's go back to Miss Wisdom and hear some of her advice.

Proverbs 1:20-22

20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
    she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall[d] she cries out,
    at the city gate she makes her speech:

22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
    How long will mockers delight in mockery
    and fools hate knowledge?

            Accord to the first chapter of the Book of Proverbs there are three kinds of sinners.  The first are the simple.  The simple are indifferent to the Word of God.  They just don't care what the Bible says.  They don't claim to be atheists because that would require too much thought.  And the simple don't think.  If you ask someone like this to come to church they might say yes and they might say no.  They may come for a concert or a meal, but they couldn't care less about worship and Bible study.   They may even consider themselves to be Christian, but their faith would be nominal at best.  And they are the first to leave a church if it is not to their liking.  They will tolerate your faith as long as you tolerate their indifference.  These are the simple.

            The second kind of sinner in the Book of Proverbs is the scoffer.  The scoffer mocks believers saying that what you believe is a myth.  Scoffers believe in secular fundamentalism.    They are confident that one day science will explain everything.  They believe in a world evolved from nothing, and do not believe in a purposeful world with a creator.   Many scoffers worship their evolved world with a faith called environmentalism.  And they mock you and me for our belief in a creator God.

            This past summer we showed a movie entitled God's Not Dead.  In this movie we saw a debate between a scoffer and a Christian.  The Atheist professor in the movie was a scoffer who mocked Christian students.  But one of the Christian students was not indifferent to his teaching.  He challenged this Atheist professor and beat him in a debate.  We have the truth; the secular fundamentalist atheistic mockers believe a lie.

            And the third kind of sinner, according to Proverbs, is the fool.  The fool hates the word of God.  Many fools are mistaken about what the Bible says.  They think that the Bible teaches that men are superior to women.  They think the Bible tells us to hate homosexuals.  And they hate the Bible for telling them what to do.  They reject any biblical teaching that would limit their behavior.  They say we are fools for believing the Bible.   We rarely see fools in church because they spend Saturday nights at Seacrets getting drunk and hooking up with a one night stand.  They are hung over on Sunday mornings when we come to church. 

            So there you have it.  Three kinds of sinners:  the simple who are indifferent about faith, the scoffer who mocks our faith, and the fool who hates our faith.  All three reject the God's wisdom as recorded in the Bible, but they still have a chance.  Let's go back to Miss Wisdom.      

23 Repent at my rebuke!
    Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
    I will make known to you my teachings.

            So here is the offer to sinners.  Repent and all God's wisdom is yours.  If you are simple and indifferent about God's wisdom, give it a chance, read your Bible, come to worship, attend Bible studies and let God speak to you.  The same advice goes to the scoffers and the fools.  Repent, turn to the God of the Bible and listen to him.  Do this and God's wisdom is yours.

            But if you don't do this there is a price to pay.  If sinners don't turn to God and receive instructions for living from his word they will find that God won't be there when they need him.  Let's listen to Miss Wisdom.

24 But since you refuse to listen when I call
    and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
    and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
    I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
    when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
    when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
    they will look for me but will not find me,
29 since they hated knowledge
    and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30 Since they would not accept my advice
    and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
    and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
    and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

            And so for sinners who are indifferent about God, or mock our faith, or despise God's word the day will come when the blessings from God they now enjoy will be withdrawn.  They will experience illness or the death of a loved one.  They will lose a job or the bank will foreclose on their homes.  Their spouse will leave them, and children hate them.  When these terrible things happen, those who have ignored or turned away from God will find that God won't be there when they need him.  When disaster strikes sinners will be all alone.  No one will hear their prayers.

            But if sinners turn from their indifference, turn from their mockery, turn from their hate, and turn to Almighty God then God will be with them no matter what happens.  Let's hear the good news from Miss Wisdom.

33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
    and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

            The promise of scripture for all who believe is that God will with us and continues to bless us no matter what happens.  We might lose our health, or lose a relationship, or lose our money, or lose our job, or lose our home, but God will always be there to comfort us, strengthen us, bless us, and hear our prayers if we accept his wisdom. 

            And so brothers and sisters I urge you this day to put away your indifference, put away your mockery of the faith, put away your hatred of scripture and turn to the God who created you.  Talk to him in prayer and meditation on scripture every day in your devotions.  Worship him every Sunday.  And you will find that when you need God, he will be there for you.  This is good news.  Let pray to this wonderful God.

            Father in heaven you are the most important thing in our lives.  We respect the faithful people around us.  And we love your holy word.  We pray this is the name of the Word of God our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Sermon – Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Generosity

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Generosity

September 6, 2015

            Last month I introduced to you two Bible characters from the Old Testament book of Proverbs.  They were Miss Wisdom and Miss Folly.  And if you remember I advised you to always follow Miss Wisdom for a good life.  Today Miss Wisdom would like to talk with us about the responsibilities of being rich.  And since everyone here is rich, richly blessed by God, we need to hear this.  But first let’s pray.

            May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

Proverbs 22:1-7

22 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
    to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

² Rich and poor have this in common:
    The Lord is the Maker of them all.

³ The prudent see danger and take refuge,
    but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

⁴ Humility is the fear of the Lord;
    its wages are riches and honor and life.

⁵ In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,
    but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

⁶ Start children off on the way they should go,
    and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

            If we live in a house, condo, or apartment in or near Ocean City and if we drive a car we are rich not poor.   So, all of us here today are rich.  There are pastors who will tell you that it is bad to be rich, as if wealth was somehow evil.  But the Bible is clear.  Wealth is a sign of God’s blessing.  You would not be wealthy unless God blesses you with wealth.  God has blessed you with the ability to think and work. God has given you motivation to work hard.  And God has given you the ability to make good decisions.  All of this is good.  And the reward you get for hard work and making good decisions is to be blessed by God with income and wealth.  And so your house and car and boat and retirement accounts are all symbols of God’s blessings upon you.

            Conversely the poor have been cursed.  Many of the poor make bad decisions.  They have children before getting married.  They use drugs.  They gamble.  They get into debt.  And the result is poverty.  Poverty is a curse from God.

            Of course there are exceptions to this general rule.  There are evil rich people who acquire their wealth dishonestly.  And there are poor people who make good decisions and yet find themselves, through no fault of their own, destitute.  Because of these exceptions we cry out to God asking why the evil prosper while the good perish.  We do this because this is not the way it is supposed to be.  Our God is a God of justice who blesses us and curses us fairly.  But sin has corrupted the system and we find things at odds with God’s intentions.

            God wants things to be set right.  So he sent his son to forgive us.  And he provides us with wisdom so that we may live our lives as God intended.  So let’s visit Miss Wisdom and hear what she can tell us about living wisely with wealth.

Proverbs 22

⁹Those who are generous are blessed,

for they share their bread with the poor.

            So, the most important thing you can do as people blessed with wealth is to share some of your wealth with the poor so they will have what they need.  And we need to share generously.           We already do this in many ways.  Many of you brought food for international students this summer.  And you were very generous supporting the work of CRU.

            We support institutions which care for the poor in our community.  The one I am most familiar with is the Samaritan Shelter in Pocomoke City.  Samaritan Shelter was started by the Presbyterian churches here on the eastern shore of Maryland including this church.  Today it is supported by many churches.  It provides a warm meal and a safe place to stay to families and individuals who desperately need it.  The Samaritan Shelter is a central location for information about government services and employment opportunities.  This church supports the Samaritan Shelter and I hope it continues to do so generously. 

            We also support the Cold Weather Shelter here in Ocean City.    From December through March if the wind chill is 25 degrees or below the shelter opens, provides dinner, breakfast and a warm place to sleep for men, women and children on a cold night.  It is located at the St. Peter’s Lutheran Retreat Center at 10301 Costal Highway.  Information about this ministry is in your bulletin.

            The Cold Weather Shelter is a program of the Ocean City Crises Coalition.  According to our own Mission Study, “Local churches have joined together with church monies and volunteers to meet the needs of the homeless and low income residents of Ocean City year round. Soup kitchens, Thanksgiving dinners, bags of food, clothes, shelter and rent/utility money are things typically provided. Our church provides funds and volunteers. The Cold Weather Shelter is housed at the Lutheran Church in North Ocean City.”[i]  

            I hope that we continue to support this vital ministry generously.

            Now according to Miss Wisdom the rich have an obligation to share their blessings from God with the poor.  And First Presbyterian Church does this.  But there are two things we must not do.  Let’s return to Miss Wisdom as see what these are.

⁸Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,

and the rod of anger will fail.

²²Do not rob the poor because they are poor,

or crush the afflicted at the gate;

           

            In other words we should never take advantage of the poor.  We must always treat them fairly.  God will judge us if we build up our wealth by exploiting the poor.

            In the ancient world if a person was unable to support himself he had two options. First, he could borrow some money.   Today people take advantage of the poor by charging them higher interest rates.  But in ancient times this was not permitted by God.  In God’s economy people were to generously give a loan to someone who needed it with the full knowledge that all loans would be canceled every seven years.  And so in many cases loans were really gifts to get people through a bad time.  Second, a poor person could sell himself as a slave.  Now slavery sounds terrible to our ears as it should after what this country did to African American before 1865.   But in the ancient world slavery was a very different.   It was more like getting a job.  Everyone was to work the land God had provided their family.  But if someone was unable to support his family with his land he could sell himself to his neighbor as a slave to work the neighbor’s field.  He would receive, up front, payment for his expected years of service.  And all slave contracts ended every seven years as slaves became free and worked their own land with all debts forgiven.

            Obviously we do not have a system in America today where all contacts and loans end every seven years.  Our contracts and loans go on forever.  And therefore we have an even greater responsibly to care for the poor.   We have the responsibility of generously writing off loans from people who are unable to pay.  And we must generously pay the workers in our homes and business wages that allow them to support their families.  It is your responsibility as rich Americans to be generous with the working poor.

            Why should we do all this?  Why should we feed the hungry?  Why should we provide shelter for the homeless?  Why should we deal fairly with the working poor?  The answer to all these questions is because of the God we worship.  Let’s go back to Miss Wisdom.

²The rich and the poor have this in common:

the LORD is the maker of them all.

²³for the LORD pleads their cause

and despoils of life those who despoil them.

            And so the reason we care for the poor is that God created both rich and poor in his image, and God’s justice requires that we care for all of God creation.  There is no difference in God’s eyes between a rich person and poor person.  God blesses all of us abundantly.  But because evil has caused a misallocation of resources, God requires the rich to generously care for the poor.

            Miss Wisdom has one more piece of advice for the rich.  Let’s hear what she has to say.

¹A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

            Brothers and sisters I must remind you to build up riches in heaven rather that wealth in banks.  Doing good is more important than making money.   Your reputation is more important than the size of your bank account.

            Let me tell you a story of three men who valued acquiring wealth more than caring for the poor, Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, and Andrew Fastow, the Chairman, President and Chief Financial Officer of Enron.  Amassing great wealth was the most important value for each of these men.  They were all richly blessed by God with good health and the ability to work hard and achieve.  But their desire to have more and more wealth caused them to commit accounting fraud which caused their business and savings of investors to disappear.  They sacrificed their own reputations for money.  And as a result all three were convicted of fraud.   Shortly after his conviction Kenneth Lay died of a heart attack.  Jeffrey Skilling remains in prison.  And Andrew Fastow completed his sentence and now gives speeches in universities talking to business students about ethics.  The names Lay, Skilling and Fastow will always be remembered as fools who sacrificed their good names for great riches.

            Don’t be foolish.  Don’t have a reputation as one who values money more that the people God created.  Be wise, be generous with the blessings of wealth you have received from God.   Care for the physical needs of the poor.   Treat people who borrow from you or work for you compassionately.  Always remember that what you have received are gifts from God.  Use these gifts to bless others.

            I would like to conclude with a story about one of the richest men who lived.  His name was Andrew Carnegie.  Carnegie was a Scottish industrialist in 19^th century America.  He built his fortune with steel and became the richest man the world had even seen.  In 1889 Carnegie published an article entitled Wealth[1].  In the article drew on his Presbyterian upbringing and said that the wealthy should not leave all their money to their kids.  Carnegie said that leaving great sums of money to your kids would lead them to folly.   Rather he suggested that you leave modest amounts to your family, sums which will allow them to live comfortably.  So what should you do with all the rest?  According to Carnegie you should give it away.  And that is exactly what he did.  Carnegie gave away 90% of his fortune in U.S. Steel to improve our communities with libraries, and put pipe organs in churches.  Carnegie started Carnegie Mellon University and gave large sums to the Tuskegee Institute for African American education.  And he established an endowment that continues to work for world peace.

            So don’t be fools hoarding your money and ruining your kid’s lives with too much inherited wealth.  Be wise. Save some for your retirement and a modest amount for your heirs.  Give the rest away feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and helping people who need your help.  And give to your church so that future generations will receive this wisdom.   Let’s pray.

            Father in heaven, help us to use our wealth for your purposes.  Help us to give to others the blessings we have received from you.  Allow us to discern your will for our money.  This we pray in the name of the one who taught us to care for the poor, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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[1]              http://oceancitypresbyterian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Mission-Study-revised-7112015.pdf

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[i]

Sermon – Song of Solomon 2:8-17 – Loved By God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Song of Solomon 2:8-17 – Loved By God

August 30, 2015

            This morning we are going to look at something a little different.  The Song of Solomon or the Song of Songs or Canticles is an Old Testament Book.  It contains poetry about the love between a man and a women.  This is a topic people have been writing about since writing was invented.  And some of the most beautiful poetry ever written is about the love a man has for his wife and the love a wife has for her husband.  We will hear today some of the most beautiful poetry about love the world has ever heard, but first let's pray.

            May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

Song of Solomon 2:1-7

I am a rose of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.

←                He

2 Like a lily among thorns
    is my darling among the young women.

←                She

3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
    is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
    and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,
    and let his banner over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am faint with love.
6 His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

            The Song of Solomon is unquestionably beautiful.  But a question about it has been raised by faithful believers for centuries.  They have wondered, should the Song of Solomon be in the Bible?  Yes it is beautiful love poetry.  But does it tell us anything about God?  God is not even mentioned in the book.

            A debate raged in the first century among Hebrew scholars.  Some argued for its removal from the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament, because it did not contain any of the names of God.  But Rabbi Akiva argued that it should remain.  He said that we should read it allegorically, as a metaphor.  Read the Song of Solomon as if it is talking about God's love for Israel.  Rabbi Akiva's interpretation was accepted by the rabbis and this is the way Jews read this book today.  In modern Judaism the Song of Solomon is used for personal meditations during the season of Passover.  Jews are encouraged to see in it God's great love for his people.

            Christians have also had their problems with this book as well.  The second century Christian scholar Origen wrote ten commentaries on the Song of Solomon.  In them he agreed with Rabbi Akiva that the book should be read allegorically.  But Origen said that the groom is understood to be Christ.  And the bride is his church.  Origen's allegorical interpretation guided the church throughout the Middle Ages.  And during this time more books were written about the Song of Solomon than any other biblical work. 

            But by the time of the Protestant reformation allegorical interpretations had gone out of favor.  We wanted to read scripture more literally.  And so we had big problems with the love poetry of the Song of Solomon.  Calvin never wrote a commentary on it.  And the Song of Solomon is assigned by the lectionary to be read on the last Sunday of August when most preachers are on vacation and can avoid it.

            When I arrived at First Presbyterian Church there were lots of books in the pastor's office.  But there was not one book on the Song of Solomon.  So I suspected that it has never been read from this pulpit.  I decided to check my theory.  Every Sunday Pete sits right their under the pulpit with an open Bible in her lap.  She writes in it the date she hears a sermon on a particular passage.  And she underlines important verses and make notes.  So I checked her Bible to see what she had written in the Song of Solomon.  Nothing was there: no dates indicating a sermon was preached, no underlines, no notes.  It was as if the Song of Solomon didn't exist.  And it would be a rare protestant church that would teach or preach from this book.

            But I think it would be a shame to miss out on the beautiful love poetry of the Song of Solomon.  And I think this is how we should interpret it.   Jesus told us to love God will all our heart, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  The Song of Solomon is a celebration of this love.  God loves us and we love God and we love one another.  And so in this spirit I offer to you the Song of Solomon chapter 2.

8 Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

            God loves us so much he is constantly searching for us.  For those of us who have never heard his name he will search for us over hills and in the valleys until he finds us.  For believers he looks for in daily prayer and Sunday worship hoping that we will be there.  And in his search for us God will never ever grow old, never get tired and never give up.  God loves us so much, just as a man loves a woman.  And his passionate pursuit lasts forever.  Let's get back to the song.

           
    Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
    peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
    “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.

            God loves us so much he is constantly here with us.  He is looking at us through these stained glass windows.  He is listening to us as we sing his praises and he speaks to us in scripture.  Our hearts beat faster and faster and our beloved God approaches.  And we faint with excitement as God tells us that he loves us and wants us to come away with him.  Let's return to the song.

11 See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
    the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

            God has invited us to return with him to the Garden of Eden.  The sin of our parents Adam and Eve has been forgiven.  Our love affair with God is back on.  And we can enjoy being with him for eternity.  God loves us even more than a bride loves her husband.  God wants us to be with him even more than a groom wants to be with his new wife.

            But there is a problem.  God wants us so much, but we seem to be missing.  Since the time of Adam and Eve we have been hiding ourselves from God.  So God is searching for us.  Let's go back to the song and hear God's voice.

14 My dove in the clefts of the rock,
    in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
    let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.

            And so God is searching for us.  He loves us and misses us.  He wants to see our beautiful faces in worship.  He wants to hear our sweet voices in prayer and singing.  God grieves when you miss worship.  God celebrates when you are here. And God will find us wherever we are hiding.  Back to the song.

15 Catch for us the foxes,
    the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
    our vineyards that are in bloom.

            God has placed us in a beautiful garden with blue sky and sandy beach.  He has given us ample food and everything we need for a good life.  All he asks is that we be with him in worship, speak to him in song and prayer, and listen to his voice in scripture and sermon.  God loves us so much.  And so how are we to respond to this wonderful offer of love from our God?  Do we spurn him?  Do we run away?  Or do we embrace him as a young women embraces a man who wants to marry her.    Here is our response to God:

16 My beloved is mine and I am his;
    he browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
    and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
    on the rugged hills.

            The relationship God wants with us is like that of man and woman on their honeymoon night.  God loves us so much he wants to hug us and kiss us and hold our hands and whisper poetry in our ears.  God wants to live with us, as our companion, in paradise.  And so God wants to hear from us in prayer and speak to us through scripture every day.

            And so we are richly loved by God as a man deeply loves a woman or a woman deeply loves a man.  God wants to be with us in worship.  God wants to hear our voices in prayer and singing.  God loves us so much he sent his son Jesus Christ to be with us.  God has wiped away our sin, forgiven us, so that his relationship with us is restored.  Rest in the arms of the God who loves you more than anything.

Song of Solomon 3:1-5

All night long on my bed
    I looked for the one my heart loves;
    I looked for him but did not find him.
2 I will get up now and go about the city,
    through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
    So I looked for him but did not find him.
3 The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.
    “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
    to the room of the one who conceived me.

5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

            Let's pray.  O God we love you.  We love to hear your voice in scripture.  We love to be with you in prayer and worship.  We love your Son and love your Spirit.  We love you.  Amen.