Expressions of Love

"I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach." Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Devotional Reading: Song of Solomon 4:8 - 5:1a, Matthew 22:34:40

I must admit to you that I do not often get a chance to read this passage of Old Testament Scripture. My wife has often encouraged me to spend more time with this Book. However, much to my need to confess one too many "maybe later's,"  I am finally getting around to it. Because for the past couple of weeks at church we have been inspired to consider expressions of our love for each other and our love for God and amazing God's love for us. Our spirits have been lifted through a simple and timeless expression called a hug - our hugging each other and God hugging us. I really love to hug and I 'm sure God loves to hug too.

You know, sometimes people just need a hug. They need that warm feeling of affirmation that says, "yes, you matter! That says "yes, you are loved!" they need to feel "hugged by God" in the sight of their family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances. From my experience, a small hug makes a big difference. When you have no other gift to give - hugging is the ideal gift. Great for any occasion, fun to give and receive, shows you care, comes with its own wrapping and, of course, is fully returnable.  Hugging is practically perfect. Sometimes it feels so much better to express our love for each other as hugs rather than to put it into words. Sometimes it maybe better for us to experience God's love for us as universe sized hugging.

We imagine that we understand what love really means, and we are right; it is the best we have to offer of us. Yet, when I really meditate about it, from passages such as Song of Solomon, the Gospels and the New Testament, I come away with only the faintest of ideas what love really means to God who IS love.

Sometimes when we catch a glimpse of this cosmos-compelling love, we are often stunned by how small our own expressions of love can be, for ourselves, for each other and for God. Nevertheless, love is the chief "family resemblance" that we have with God (if one would dare to to put it like that!); the one who sincerely, unselfishly loves himself as he loves his neighbor is very near to the kingdom of God.

The Song of Solomon is a wonderful collection of graphic songs or poems affirming the goodness of physical, romantic love. The church has traditionally understood this unusual book as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel or between Jesus and His Bride the church. For me, this book affirms that our relationship with each other and with God is characterized and nurtured by faithfulness and reciprocal love. And for me, their are few expressions of love that demonstrate these qualities than the simple 'hug'. A hug overcomes all boundaries. It speaks words within the mind that cannot be spoken. Helen Keller said "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."  Love one another as God loves you, hug one another as God is most certainly hugging you right now and you will be happy; it is as simple and as difficult as that.

Love is the main thing. All that God has done from the creation of the world until this day has been to demonstrate the love that God has for each of us. Is love your main thing? What have you done to demonstrate your love for God? What have you done to demonstrate your love for your neighbor? 

Let us pray;

I love you, Lord. Teach me how to love you more today than I did yesterday. Show me which neighbors I need to learn to love more than I did yesterday. I want to honor You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen