Who Me? Arise, My Love, My Fair One, and Come Away
Reflection on Song of Solomon 2:8-13
By Jackie Linden-Schade
I recently prayed with the above photo as part of a contemplative prayer group at my congregation. Taken by a man named Tommy Rose, I was captivated by this little guy, as he reminded me of myself. With one hand he points to himself, as if to say “who, me?”
The other hand appears to be stuck to the top of his head, as though astounded at something he has just heard. And, no doubt about it, this little guy is stuck and unable to get himself unstuck.
“Rise up with me, my darling! Come away with me fair one” says the Young Man to the Young Woman in Song of Songs. My ‘statue’ self says, “Who, me?” I want to push back and say, “I am not young, and actually, I am stuck. I can’t move.”
But deep inside myself, I think “yet somehow you see me as beautiful, even though I don’t see myself that way. If I am to be honest, I want to run to you! Your love for me makes me long to be unstuck. To be free.” And then, after a pause and somewhat shy, I say out loud “Would you please help me become unstuck so that I can be with you? And the Young Man, (God) says with a twinkle in his eye, “I thought you’d never ask.”
How can I not love a God like this? God manages to get me unstuck so that I am free to turn to Divine Love. I am free to say yes or no to what God offers me. But in the depths of my being, all I can say is ‘Yes!” “Yes!” to love that comes with no strings attached. “Yes!” to seeing myself as God’s beloved! “Yes!” to being so deeply loved that I want to be transformed, and to grow, and to be with this God.
In God’s love, my soul dances on a watershed moment. And as I dance, I notice some things. I notice there are some in the broad brushstrokes of my Christian tradition who would say “Because you do not believe as we do, you are not beautiful.” This noticing makes my soul want to cry. But I keep on dancing.
And as I do, I notice that our prevailing culture tells people that if their skin is black, or red, or yellow, or if they are Latino, or refugees, or gay or transgender, that they are, in their nature, flawed and unlovable. My soul shakes its head in disbelief “Not true, not true!” is spoken in the depths of my being.
The Young Man (God) comes to where I have stopped dancing, on the edge of that watershed moment. God cups my face in his hands and looks into my eyes. “You know, little one, what it feels like to be stuck in muck of believing yourself to be unlovable. You cannot do all things, but you can do some things. Go to the Writers Group at Retreat House, and share what you know of the steps of the dance. Gather with those whose hearts are turned to me of every faith and every tradition and with those who are not so sure about me at all. Let my love flow through you as a witness to my love. Dance in this watershed moment with your sisters and brothers. Know that all of you, together, are beloved community.”
Listen to Rev. Dr. Lil Smith's Guided Meditation for Praying the Lectionary for Song of Solomon 2:8-13.
Invitation
As you experience the practice of praying the lectionary, adopt a loving, caring and compassionate stance. If the end of your prayer and meditation time is not pointing to love and hope, there is more work to do. Keep wrestling. God is faithful to your journey. Love and hope will emerge. Be gentle with yourself and befriend any judgment that arises in you.
This excerpt was taken from a weekly meditation deployed to Retreat House subscribers via email every Sunday morning. To add your name to this list and receive weekly meditations, please email us.
A covenant partner at Retreat House, Jackie Linden-Schade is a Lutheran pastor and participates in both the Writer’s Group and the Common Ground gatherings. A recent graduate of HeartPaths DFW, Jackie is taking her first steps as a spiritual director