November 30: Introduction to the 2024 Advent Project
The Greatest Song: An Advent Meditation On Love
For this year’s Advent Project, we have attempted to interweave key passages from the Old Testament book the Song of Songs with familiar Christmas texts and other applicable Scriptures. During the five weeks of Advent, Christians around the world not only recall with anticipation of the first coming of our Lord, but, perhaps more poignantly, anticipate his glorious return at the end of the age. The Song of Songs, as we will see as we consider it, is a beautiful meditation of God’s love for his beloved, revealed through the incarnation of Christ. The Song is the story of a profound reciprocity—God’s unconditional love for us and, in return, the offering of our love back to him. What makes the Song so appealing is the exclusive, personal nature of the relationship described—one of mutual, shared yearning. Rabbi Maimonides (1138–1204), a prolific Torah scholar, commented on this when he wrote, “What is the proper form of love for God? It is that [one] should love Adonai with a great, overpowering, fierce love as if [one] were love-sick (Song of Songs 2:5)...for the whole of the Song is a parable on this theme.”
Many academics today see the Song of Songs as no more than a series of romantic poems extolling the courtship and wedding of two lovers, and their marriage's consummation. Yet, through the nineteenth century, Jewish and Christian scholars assumed an allegorical approach to the text. Rabbis of old viewed the Song as a picture of Yahweh and his chosen people, Israel. Christian theologians understood it as a depiction of Christ and his love for the church. In the Middle Ages, scholars believed that a number of the poems referred to Christ and the Virgin Mary. Some contemporary theologians (from all sectors of the Christian church) embrace a multilayered reading of the Song. They insist the Song can be interpreted literally, as a vibrant celebration of conjugal intimacy, while at the same time it can be understood as an allegory, viewing the partners as representative of Christ and his bride or Christ and the human soul.
The Song is a multi-sensory, nonlinear book of poetry filled with metaphors aplenty—metaphors like wine, spices, gardens, fountains, and fruit. These figures of speech heighten our senses as the reader imagines wonderful smells and tastes in an intimate Edenlike environment where the tender young lovers seem untouched by the shame and degradation of the fall. Chinese evangelist Watchman Nee states in his commentary on the Song, “[The book] tells of the longings of a believer for deeper experiences of the Lord. It does not speak of faith but of love.” The purpose of the Song of Solomon, Nee suggests, is to “lead us therefore, to know Him as the reigning King and to be by His side as the object of His supreme affection.”
All of us have carried the heavy burden of heartache with us at some point in our lives. At this blessed season of the year, there are individuals who find it difficult to navigate the holidays. Some have been deeply hurt by those they once trusted; others are struggling with loneliness, betrayal, or depression. As we explore the profound mysteries of Christ’s love, may the King of All make himself known to you in fresh, new ways. The Christ of Christmas beckons with open arms, saying “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NKJV). “Come away my beloved” (Song of Songs 8:14, NIV) is his clarion call to each of us. Francis Roberts, in her classic devotional writes, “There is the sound of the turtledove echoing throughout the land. It is the voice of the Bridegroom calling His Bride. It is the wooing of the Spirit bringing forth a people for His Name. It is the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ Himself, drawing together those who are His. It is the call of love, and those who truly love Him will respond.” May you be caught up in the love of Christ this Advent—a love that will not fail or forsake, a love that will never let us go.
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Advent 2024 Video Introduction:
T: Hi, my name is Tim Muehlhoff.
N: And I’m Noreen Muehlhoff.
And we want to welcome you to the 2024 Biola University and the Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts Advent Project.
T: This past year the Muehlhoff family experienced a milestone!
N: Our middle son, Jason . . .
T: A Biola grad—shout out to class of 2016 . . .
N: (smile) Jason, married a wonderful woman, Summer, who loves him and the Lord!
T: She’s awesome! The unexpected part was that they asked me to officiate the wedding, which I was honored to do! On a hot summer day in Dallas, before I officially pronounced them as husband and wife, Jason and Summer stood in front of friends, co-workers and family and pledged that they would love each other as God loves them.
N: This brings up an interesting question: How does God love us? While there are many places in Scripture where we could look for an answer, this Advent season we’ll particularly consider the Nativity Narrative and the Song of Songs.
T: Concerning the nativity, John makes a powerful statement when he defines Divine love this way: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10).
N: John clues us in on a key part of Divine love: it overlooks the unworthiness of others. In a letter to believers at Rome, Paul states: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
T: In the devotionals you are about to read, we’ll consider how this Divine love is received and how it transforms us. As we as Christ followers embrace grace and forgiveness, we are to pass it on to others. “Be kind and compassionate to one another,” states Paul, “forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). Notice, Paul isn’t saying we take our cues from each other, but rather, we forgive as God has forgiven us.
N: How does Divine love transform us as we interact with imperfect co-workers, family members and friends? In the weeks that follow, we’ll particularly look at how Divine love plays out in our marriages through a unique book in the OT, The Song of Songs.
T: What makes the Song of Songs such a unique book is that it not only does it fearlessly address love, longing, physical desire, and passion, it does so from both a man and woman’s perspective. In the ancient world, it was unheard of to present the woman’s perspective—let alone her thoughts on passion and love. Yet, if you add up all the voices in this unique poem, roughly 60% comes from the female point of view.
N: One reoccurring message in the Song of Songs is that for love to flourish it must be rooted in unwavering commitment. “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death . . . Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away” (Song of Solomon 8:6-7).
T: We are not oblivious that while we journey through the Advent season and the following devotionals, our world is facing real challenges that worry us all. Yet, by focusing on God’s gift of his Son to the world . . .
N: and the unwavering commitment between a husband and wife, “love” will ultimately “drive out fear” (1 Jn. 4:18).
About the Videos Presenters:
Tim and Noreen Muehlhoff are both on staff with
Biola’s Center for Marriage and Relationships. Dr. Tim Muehlhoff is
also a professor of communications at Biola University, where he teaches classes
in family communication, interpersonal communication, apologetics, gender, and
conflict resolution, and co-hosts The Art of Relationship podcast. Noreen also works at Biola as the Associate Director of Chapel Programs. For
the past twenty years, Tim and Noreen have been frequent speakers
at FamilyLife Marriage Conferences. Tim has written several books,
including Defending Your Marriage, Winsome Persuasion, and The God
Conversation. Tim and Noreen live in Brea, California, with
their three sons.
Image:
This detail of a nativity by Italian artist Giotto di Bondone (1267-1357) is from one of the frescoes from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.