Love as Strong as Death

How do you respond to the absence of the one you love? The bride in Song of Songs faces this precise scenario. Her beloved is gone, and she is desperately sick with love. In this session, we discuss how the bride’s difficult night relates to our own spiritual lives.

“What can I give him, poor as I am?” This lyric by Christina Rosetti echoes Song of Songs, for the bride might have asked the same in response to her beloved’s overwhelming love. We reflect, in this session, on the love of Christ and the invitation to give our hearts to our beloved God.

Song of Songs declares, “For love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave.” These striking words are beautiful to hear, but upon reflection, seem to be false. How can love possibly overcome death or the grave? In this final session, we examine how the bride can honestly say that love is as strong as death.

For most of Christian history, the Song of Songs was among the most beloved books of the Bible. Today, it is rarely heard in church. In this introductory session, we address some of the difficulties of the Song and try to answer the question: who are these two lovers?

The lovers in Song of Songs are unashamed of their passion. “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” The woman so adores the man; the man is so enchanted by the woman. But what do they teach us about love, about worthiness, and especially about the love of Jesus?

Be mine. This simple Valentine’s message carries profound meaning. Lovers use possessive language because they feel, in some way, that they belong to each other. In this session, we explore how this sentiment echoes unto our relationship with God.