This Sunday will be the fourth Sunday in Advent for those sections of the broad church which keep the days – and I bless them for their diligence. I was brought up in Anglicanism and have those seasons imprinted on my mind and being. But I know there is far more to Kingdom life than man’s constructs - no matter how helpful they are intended to be.
Advent means “Coming” and that is supposed to be our focus on a daily basis, but I still feel that there are seasons in our year when it’s good to engage more deeply with aspects of our faith than at other times. I know many people who don’t keep the days [ inc my wife ] and I know some of them [ not inc my wife ] who seem to be a little the worse for it in terms of heartiness, joy, openness and love. But if we can really take our minds deeper into the Scriptures or times of prayer and reflection and give the Lord more chance to speak directly to our being, then who knows what effect He might have on us and through us.
The last week or so I’ve been very taken with Song of Solomon Chapter 2 verses 8 -10. Oh Look….. here it is !!
[8] The voice of my Beloved! Behold, He comes leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.
[9] My Beloved is like a roe or a young hart. Behold, He stands behind our wall, He looks forth at the windows, peering from the lattice.
[10] My Beloved spoke, and said to me, Rise up, My love, My beautiful one, and come away.
I can’t help you with a deeper exposition from the original Hebrew, but on meditating on these few words, I get some lovely handles on what Advent means to me.
When I see the word ‘leaping’ I think of that joyful abandon that is carefree and unbothered by the pressures and worries, stresses and strains of life as we know it. Having seen young deer, lambs and other animals literally just leaping with life I feel I can see a little of what the writer intended us to know about the Beloved – Jesus! Having done all the work of creation and redemption, become the fulfilment of being Alpha and Omega in absolute triumph…what cares has He? He comes! Freedom of access. Full right of way. He comes over the mountains [ obstacles ] and hills [ high places ] to be with those He loves. The Advent Beloved is come. He’s come in joy to be with you and I.
The voice of my Beloved! Since He has come and has a voice and wants to speak, I want to listen. The more I listen, the deeper the peace becomes and time melts away and trickles away around me. He seems to speak to me in terms of delight and excitement. He shows me what to read in His Word and is there when I take up a guitar or burst into song. If only I could disengage from distractions more often and stay in that place longer.
Despite my distraction, He waits. He waits outside the boundary that I make. The boundary between the earthly and the divine. He waits at the lattice that screens incompletely but still fractures the view. It’s as if “The Matrix” reality in which I live has somehow become apparent to me now and I know that He’s there in His reality, an eternal reality of divinity, glory, power and love.But it’s down to me to move the barrier and choose to open myself to the Lord Jesus – the Advent Beloved.
But the most amazing thing is that He is continually saying “Rise up!” Encouraging my response to move to the higher calling. He is so patient.
“My love, My Beautiful One”, the words of one who loves and loves without conditions and who loves me despite me and loves forever - loves me! This is the the one who has come to earth as Emmanuel. This is the one who has come and waits until I really hear His voice and respond with all that I am.
“Come away!”, He says in that invitation to repent of living independently of Him and to come away into the life He has for us. That’s the life of abandonment. Abandonment to Him and trust that He will clothe both the lillies and me. A life lived in the heights of love and joy, of peace and power, of glory and goodness forever. It’s not pie in the sky. I know that when I focus on the worldly, the negativity, the immaturity then I hem myself in behind the lattice of my own making. But all the time He is waiting, calling me to ‘Come away’.
This afternoon, all I wanted to do was get into my study and get to the lattice and push it aside.
He has come! He is here!
Bless you.
