March 31: Christ the Bridegroom
♫ Music:
Day 30 - Thursday, March 31
Title: A LOVE SONG TO CHRIST THE BRIDEGROOM
Scripture: Psalm 45
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.
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.
Poetry:
Looking Around, Believing
by Gary Soto
How strange that we can begin at any time.
With two feet we get down the street.
With a hand we undo the rose.
With an eye we lift up to the peach tree
And hold it up to the wind – white blossoms
At our feet. Like today. I started
In the yard with my daughter,
With my wife poking at a potted geranium,
And now I am walking down the street,
Amazed that the sun is only so high,
Just over the roof, and a child
Is singing through a rolled newspaper
And a terrier is leaping like a flea
And at the bakery I pass, a palm
Like a suctioning starfish is pressed
To the window. We’re keeping busy—
This way, that way, we’re making shadows
Where sunlight was, making words
Where there was only noise in the trees.
CHRIST THE BRIDEGROOM
At first blush, a person might wonder why Psalm 45 was included in the biblical canon for both Jews and Christians. It celebrates a marriage of state, a royal ceremony that may have had more to do with national alliances and treaties than it did with love. We don’t know for certain the identities of the bride and groom, but they were clearly people of stature. While there are prayers included in the psalm, it reads like a wedding liturgy written by a royal poet.
But over time, those devoted to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob saw something else in this psalm. It hinted at something yet to come; it pointed ahead to what people hoped to see: The coming of the Messiah.
When they read “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom” (v. 6), and “I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever” (v. 17), their thoughts moved away from the rich and powerful to the God who would redeem his people, who would send one who would inaugurate God’s kingdom on earth. Jews hoped for that Messiah to come; Christians saw that Messiah in the person of Jesus.
In Jesus’ parable of the ten bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13), we meet a bridegroom who is apparently running late to his own wedding, requiring the bridesmaids to wait late into the night. They fall asleep and their lamps burn out. Five of the waiting bridesmaids have no reserves and leave in desperation to find someone to sell them oil in the middle of the night. The other five came well prepared with extra oil and joined the groom for the wedding party, which presumably would include a bride.
In the artwork Wise and Foolish Virgins by Ukrainian artist Ivanka Demchuk, the foolish bridesmaids—depicted by grasping hands and fallen lamps—are locked outside of the room where the party is going on. The window in the chamber is small and elevated; the excluded young woman will not even be able to peek inside. The warning that Jesus gives is clear: Stay awake; be prepared for what is to come.
Jesus says that what is to come is the kingdom of Heaven. But unlike the powerful kings of the day, ones who might find marriage to be a convenient way to build empires, the king of this kingdom comes in weakness. This king will not wield political or military power; his will be a power granted by the Spirit of God, and his kingship will be demonstrated through suffering and death.
Even though we who follow Jesus believe that our king has come, we still wait. We wait for the day when the king will return, when God will make all things new (Revelation 21:5), and when the bride who has been faithfully waiting is finally united with the divine Groom who will wipe the tears from every eye.
Prayer
God, our Father,
Thank you for Jesus, who walked in Spirit and truth and who waited upon you. Thank you for Jesus, who throughout His life, demonstrated himself to be the one who would wait on you in every situation and do only those things that he heard from you.
Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray that we too may learn how to wait on you and quietly rest in your will. We pray that we may live as He did:
A life that is led by the Spirit.
A life that walks in Spirit and grace.
A life that seeks to do your will.
A life that waits in patient expectation on you.
Amen.
–––Adapted from https://prayer.knowing-jesus.c...
Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies
Fuller Theological Seminary
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:
Wise and Foolish Virgins
Ivanka Demchuk
Tempera and acrylic on panel
30 x 40 cm
Drawing upon the traditions of icon painting, Ivanka Demchuk is one of the new Ukrainian iconographers, and she brings a fresh, more abstract treatment to her work. In her most recent works, Demchuk has moved toward an abstracted mystical style by painting her figures in white, ethereal spaces. Of her work Demchuk says, “All colors are figurative in the icon. They do not belong to the object or person in question, but rather reveal their theological significance. Most of my icons have a white background since, observing the life of Christ and the saints, one wants to focus on the idea of simplicity, purity, and renunciation of earthly riches…instead of golden halos.” In Demchuk’s icon of the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, Jesus warns listeners to be spiritually prepared for his coming. The space of the composition is clearly demarcated by a large white celestial field and a smaller dark sepia-toned area. The light area is inhabited by Christ represented as the bridegroom, and the five wise virgins who have kept vigilant for his return. The wise virgins, holding their brightly burning lamps, who have chosen to live righteously, humbly, and observant of the Lord’s teachings, are welcomed by Christ into his presence, while those who have not abided in the Lord and whose lamps have all but gone out have had the door shut on them, leaving them saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But he answered, "Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you" (Matthew 25:1-13).
https://day.kyiv.ua/en/article/culture/ukraine-has-great-potential-development-modern-icon
About the Artist:
Ivanka Demchuk (b. 1990) is a contemporary Ukrainian liturgical artist. Demchuk, like many contemporary Ukrainian iconographers and artists, is a graduate of the Sacral Art Department at the Lviv National Academy of Arts, known for pushing the boundaries of a conservative art form based on traditionally historic prototypes, forms, and colors.
http://sacredartpilgrim.com/schools/view/40
https://day.kyiv.ua/en/article/culture/ukraine-has-great-potential-development-modern-icon
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ModernIconArt
About the Music:
“Psalm 45 (A Noble Theme)”
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
My heart is stirred by a noble theme,
as I recite verses for the King.
My tongue compelled to write a song
and lift Your praise all day long.
[Refrain 1]
Your throne forever
is blessed with splendor from above,
You are the theme that stirs my heart to sing.
[Verse 2]
My heart is stirred
by a love so rare,
no human love can compare.
My lips alive with fervent song,
my concert filled with anthems strong.
[Refrain 2]
Your throne forever is blessed with splendor from above
You are the theme that stirs my heart to sing!
[Verse 3]
(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!
[Verse 4]
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!
[Refrain 3]
Your Kingdom ever is blessed with splendor from above, (above)
You are the theme that stirs my heart to sing.
About the Composer/Lyricist:
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 neo-classical 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 Poet:
Gary Anthony Soto (b. 1952) is an American poet, novelist, and memoirist. Soto attended Fresno City College and California State University, Fresno, where he earned his B.A. degree in English in 1974, studying with poet Philip Levine. He did graduate work in poetry writing at the University of California, Irvine, where he was the first Mexican-American to earn a M.F.A. in 1976. He states that he wanted to become a writer in college after discovering the novelist Gabriel García Márquez and the contemporary poets, James Wright and Pablo Neruda, whom he calls "the master of them all." Soto taught at University of California, Berkeley and at University of California, Riverside, where he was a Distinguished Professor. Soto was a 'Young People's Ambassador' for the United Farm Workers of America, introducing young people to the organization's work and goals. Soto became the sponsor for the Pattonville High School Spanish National Honor Society in 2009.Soto's poetry focuses on daily experiences, often reflecting on his life as a Chicano. Regarding his relationship with the Mexican-American community, Soto commented "as a writer, my duty is not to make people perfect, particularly Mexican Americans. I’m not a cheerleader. I’m one who provides portraits of people in the rush of life."Soto writes novels, plays and memoirs, and has edited several literary anthologies. His story "The No-Guitar Blues" was made into a film, and he produced another film based on his book "The Pool Party." He is a prolific writer of children's books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Soto
About the Devotion Author:
Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies
Fuller Theological Seminary
Mike McNichols is a former pastor and served as director of Fuller Seminary’s regional campus in Irvine, California, for over thirteen years. McNichols currently teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary as an affiliate assistant professor of Intercultural Studies. He and his wife, Emily, live in Orange County, California.