Song of Solomon, “LOVE” by listentothemountains; flickr
Meditation
Saturday of Easter Week Two is all about love and devotion. The Psalmist proclaims his trust in the Lord and the many ways that the Lord was faithful and worthy. The New Testament lesson retells the story of Mary Magdalene encountering Jesus in the garden by the tomb. She had gone early in the morning on Sunday to add spices to his body, but encountered the angel, who scared her and told her to tell the others, which she did. But she didn’t understand what had truly happened. Resurrection was still a novel idea and many didn’t believe in it.
She hung around the garden uncertain what to do next, when she encountered a man, she assumed was the gardener. Jesus asks her why she was crying and she summons the courage to ask him where someone took the body. Then he calls her by name.
“Mary.”
She immediately recognizes him. Tone of voice. The timber of a close friend speaking her name and she lunges at him and hangs on, until he tells her to let go. He has more work to do. Ascension. Her devotion is palpable.
The Song of Solomon is a simple two verse oration of love and devotion. Often used to demonstrate the love between a man and a woman, it can also be used for weddings and anniversaries. It can also be used for the love for God.
“Set me as a seal upon thy heart…thy arm.” First, seals were used as declarations of importance (the signet ring seal of a king) or a vow and promise. We use rings today in wedding ceremonies to show the ‘endless’ love in the unending circle, the sign worn to show to others that the couple declares love for each other. They are made of gold or another precious metal and decorated with gems to signify the highest level of value placed on the relationship. A seal is by its name declares something ‘sewn up and closed to others.’
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