December 31: The Coronation of the Bridal Couple
♫ Music:
Day 31 - Tuesday, December 31
Title: The Coronation of the Bridal Couple
Scripture #1: Psalm 45:1-9 (The Glories of the King–NKJV)
My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are fairer than the sons of men;grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever. Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty. and in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies; the peoples fall under You. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; at Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.
Scripture #2: Psalm 45:10-17 (The Glories of His Bride–NKJV)
Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house, so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him. And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the rich among the people will seek your favor. The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; the virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You. With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the King’s palace. Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth. I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.
Scripture #2: Isaiah 61:10 (NKJV)
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Poetry:
“Marriage Blessing”
by Jane Hirshfield
Today when persimmons ripen
Today when fox-kits come out of their den into snow
Today when the spotted egg releases its wren song
Today when the maple sets down its red leaves
Today when windows keep their promise to open
Today when fire keeps its promise to warm
Today when someone you love has died
or someone you never met has died
Today when someone you love has been born
or someone you will not meet has been born
Today when rain leaps to the waiting of roots in their dryness
Today when starlight bends to the roofs of the hungry and tired
Today when someone sits long inside his last sorrow
Today when someone steps into the heat of her first embrace
Today, let this light bless you
With these friends let it bless you
With snow-scent and lavender bless you
Let the vow of this day keep itself wildly and wholly
Spoken and silent, surprise you inside your ears
Sleeping and waking, unfold itself inside your eyes
Let its fierceness and tenderness hold you
Let its vastness be undisguised in all your days.
THE CORONATION OF THE BRIDAL COUPLE
When we think of kings and queens, most of us naturally imagine the British Royal Family, one of the last to practice the spectacular pageantry of a bygone era. At the coronation of a British monarch, millions of people around the world tune in to watch the thousand-year-old ceremony. The pinnacle of this investiture is the Archbishop of Canterbury anointing the king or queen with holy oil (taken from 1 Kings 1:38-50 where Zadok the Priest anointed King Solomon) and placing the crown, a symbol of power and authority, on the monarch’s head.
Not only are monarchs associated with the wearing of crowns, but in various cultures around the world the crown is a significant symbol used in wedding ceremonies. In Northern European cultures since Roman times, brides have worn intricate gold and silver wedding crowns, an indication of their virginity and purity. In Eastern Orthodox ceremonies, the Crowning Service or Coronation, is the climax of the wedding. The priest places simple crowns (often joined together with ribbon) on the bride and groom’s heads as he sings, “Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor.” The couple is crowned king and queen of their newly formed home where they hope to live in integrity and love before God. Their little kingdom becomes enfolded into the macrocosmic Kingdom of God. Wedding crowns also reference the “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7-8), an eternal reward for holy living, as well as “crowns of martyrdom,” an indication that marriage requires endless self-sacrifice.
Our son just announced his engagement to a young woman we think of in the most affectionate and esteemed way. It’s a time of great rejoicing for our family as we anticipate the soon approaching day when they will be “crowned” husband and wife. There is much to prepare. Details regarding the guests, the gifts, the finery, the ceremony, and the reception all need to be carefully thought through. It’s a monumental task as weddings are one of life’s peak events, which moves those involved to make it as memorable as possible for the special couple. Our Scripture passage for today is a wedding hymn written for a royal bride and groom on the occasion of their marriage. Some scholars speculate the couple described is King Solomon and the Princess of Egypt. Whatever the original event or recipients, today Psalm 45 is a popular inclusion at both Jewish and Christian weddings.
We don’t have to read very far before we realize that the king and groom in this song of praise focuses on someone who is more than human. He’s described as beautiful, righteous, courageous, and mighty. “You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever. Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness” (Psalm 45:2-4). In John’s Book of Revelation, the Evangelist echoes the Bridegroom’s character qualities, “Behold, a white horse. and He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. . . and He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And likewise in the book of Hebrews, Psalm 45 is referenced, “But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’”
While the first half of Psalm 45 describes the king, the second half focuses on his bride. At any wedding the bride is the center of attention. There are moving, online videos show young, awestruck grooms tearing up the moment they see their beloved coming down the aisle. “So the king will greatly desire your beauty” (Psalm 45:11). Rembrandt’s lush painting, The Jewish Bride, brings to mind the glorious “royal daughter” who is brought “with gladness and rejoicing” to the King “in robes of many colors” (Psalm 45: 13-15). This beautiful wife, the Church of Christ, “has made herself ready for the marriage of the lamb” (Revelation 19:7).
Crowns from earthly occasions are pale metaphors that point to a much grander eternal scenario. It seems that preparations for the heavenly wedding of Christ and His bride are underway. With eagerness those who are His, long for the quickening of that glorious day when “every knee shall bow” and Christ is fully acknowledged and crowned “King and Lord of All!” Then He will reign forever and ever with His beloved wife in the culmination of all things. Meanwhile, “We all, with unveiled faces, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, Amplified Bible).
Prayer:
Lord and King of Creation,
We bow before You. To You belong all glory, honor, and praise. Open our hearts to Your divine character shining forth to us through love unfailing. Purify us to respond with love first to You and then overflowing to those around us. May the grace, beauty, and faithfulness in You bring the best forth in our fellowship and personal lives. Forgive us our shortcomings and lead us on to be renewed and transformed. Your righteousness and sacrifice call out to us, the beloved. As You first came to be born in Bethlehem, let us look for Your return as the eternal Kingdom is fulfilled.
Amen.
Beth Krammes
Alumna, Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Biola University
Barry Krammes
Professor Emeritus, Art Department
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork #1:
The Jewish Bride
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
c. 1665–1669
Oil on canvas
121.5 × 166.5 cm.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Public domain
The painting gained its current name in the early nineteenth century, when an Amsterdam art collector identified the subject as that of a Jewish father bestowing a necklace upon his daughter on her wedding day. This interpretation is no longer accepted, and the identity of the couple is uncertain.The ambiguity is heightened by the lack of anecdotal context, leaving only the central universal theme, that of a couple joined in love. Speculative suggestions as to the couple's identity have ranged from Rembrandt's son Titus and his bride, or Amsterdam poet Miguel de Barrios and his wife. Also considered are several couples from the Old Testament, including Abraham and Sarah, Boaz and Ruth, or Isaac and Rebekah, which is supported by a drawing by the artist several years prior. While technical evidence suggests that Rembrandt initially envisioned a larger and more elaborate composition, the placement of his signature at lower left indicates that its current dimensions are not significantly different from those at the time of its completion. According to Rembrandt biographer Christopher White, the completed composition is "one of the greatest expressions of the tender fusion of spiritual and physical love in the history of painting."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jewish_Bride
About the Artist #1:
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669) was a Dutch draftsman, painter, and printmaker. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art and the most important in Dutch art history. Unlike the work of most Dutch masters of the seventeenth century, Rembrandt’s works depict a wide range of style and subject matter, from portraits and self-portraits to landscapes, genre scenes, allegorical and historical scenes, and biblical and mythological themes. His contributions to art came in a period of great wealth and cultural achievement that historians call the “Dutch Golden Age.” After he achieved youthful success as a portrait painter, Rembrandt’s later years were marked by personal tragedy and financial hardships. Rembrandt’s portraits of his contemporaries, self-portraits, and illustrations of scenes from the Bible are regarded as his greatest creative triumphs. His self-portraits form a unique and intimate autobiography, in which the artist surveyed himself without vanity and with the utmost sincerity. Rembrandt’s foremost contribution in the history of printmaking was his transformation of the etching process from a relatively new reproductive technique into a true art form. Because of his empathy for the human condition, he has been called one of the greatest storytellers in the history of art, possessing an exceptional ability to render people in their various moods and dramatic guises. Rembrandt is also known as a painter of light and as an artist who favored an uncompromising realism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rembrandt
https://www.biography.com/artist/rembrandt
About the Artwork #2:
Bridal Crown
1590–1610
Silver and silver gilt
Christen Sveaas Collection
Norway
Public Domain
Traditionally a bridal crown is a headdress that, in central and northern Europe, single women wore on certain holidays, at festivals and, finally, at their weddings. A bridal crown, along with the bridal wreath and veil, is probably the oldest decorative form of headdress worn by women. With it, the bride would symbolize her purity, and it was also a status symbol for her family. The design of bridal crowns varied and depended on the place and region. In the beginning, they were decorated with flowers, fir branches, herbs, and ripe fruits, and later were fashioned in more precious metals and gems. In Norway, Sweden, and Serbia, bridal crowns were made of silver. In Scandinavia, bridal crowns today usually are made of brass, silver, or gold, are fashioned like a smaller type of coronet of a princess, and often have gems and ornate decorations. They are often attached to long veils. Scandinavian church parishes keep such crowns of their own and lend them to brides for their wedding ceremonies and receptions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridal_crown
About the Music: “Psalm 45—A Noble Theme” (single)
Lyrics:
My heart is stirred by a noble theme,
as I recite verses for the King.
My tongue compelled (my tongue compelled)
to write a song
and lift Your praise (and lift Your praise)
all day long.
Your throne forever
is blessed with splendor from above (above),
You are the theme that stirs my heart to sing.
My heart is stirred (my heart is stirred)
by a love so rare (by a love so rare),
No human love (no human love)
(can) love (ever quite compare.) can compare.
(My lips alive) My lips alive with fervent song,
My concert filled with anthems strong.
Your throne forever is blessed
with splendor from above (above.)
You are the theme that stirs my heart to sing!
(In Your majesty ride forth victoriously)
in behalf of truth and humility.
(Your wedding robes are fragrant with the oils of gladness.)
Gold and precious jewels now adorn Your palace (in anticipation,)
anticipation for Your Bride!
My heart is stirred by a noble theme:
We are the Bride of Jesus Christ, the King.
I'm overwhelmed by such a thought
that we've been chosen, we've been bought!
You are my portion, You are the lover of my soul, (my soul.)
You are the theme that stirs my heart to sing!
Your Kingdom ever is blessed with splendor from above, (above.)
You are the theme that stirs my heart to sing.
Christ is the theme that stirs my heart to sing.
About the Composer:
Heather Sorenson entered the church music industry in her twenties, and her name quickly became a welcomed fixture in the publishing world. Initially recognized for her skill as a pianist, Heather is now known for her compositions in choral anthems, solo piano collections, and orchestrations. Her works are performed regularly at competitions, concerts, recitals, and churches worldwide. In the past five years, Heather has appeared multiple times at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Constitution Hall. In her latest Carnegie performance, Heather was the arranger and orchestrator of the new critically acclaimed neoclassical oratorio EXODUS, which had its world premiere on President's Day of 2015. Teaching has become a large part of Heather's ministry. She taught all elementary levels of music at Grace Academy of Dallas for four years, served as an adjunct music professor at Baylor University, and has served on many master class panels in piano and songwriting. Heather regularly is a guest speaker and conductor at churches across America, and leads scores of sessions each year at various worship conferences, schools, and universities. Although her career is sometimes on a big stage, Heather's heart is leading the church in worship, and she feels that her greatest calling is using her music to connect people with God.
https://www.singers.com/arrangers/Heather-Sorenson/
https://lorenz.com/composers-and-authors/meet-our-composers/heather-sorenson
About the Performers: Hal Leonard Singers and the Shawnee Press Church Choral
Hal Leonard, LLC (formerly Hal Leonard Corporation) is an American music publishing and distribution company founded in Winona, Minnesota, by Harold "Hal" Edstrom, his brother, Everett "Leonard" Edstrom, and fellow musician Roger Busdicker. Currently headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it is the largest sheet music publisher in the world. In 2005, the company relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. In 2009, Milwaukee-based Hal Leonard Corporation acquired Shawnee Press (along with other Music Sales Group USA music print publications), with Shawnee becoming a publishing imprint of Hal Leonard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawnee_Press
About the Poetry & Poet:
Jane Hirshfield (b. 1953) is an American poet, essayist, and translator. She received her bachelor's degree from Princeton University in the school's first graduating class to include women. Hirshfield's eight books of poetry have received numerous awards. Her fifth book, Given Sugar, Given Salt, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She has edited four books collecting the work of poets from the past, and is noted as being "part of a wave of important scholarship then seeking to recover the forgotten history of women writers." Her honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1985, the Academy of American Poets’ 2004 Fellowship for Distinguished Achievement, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 2005, and the Donald Hall-Jane Kenyon Award in American Poetry in 2012. Never a full-time academic, Hirshfield has taught at the University of California at Berkeley, University of San Francisco, and as the Elliston Visiting Poet at the University of Cincinnati.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/jane-hirshfield
https://poets.org/poet/jane-hirshfield
About the Devotion Authors:
Beth Krammes
Alumna, Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Biola University
Barry Krammes
Professor Emeritus, Art Department
Biola University