{"id":19222,"date":"2022-05-02T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotion-monday-2nd-may-2022"},"modified":"2022-05-03T15:52:13","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T14:52:13","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-monday-2nd-may-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-monday-2nd-may-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion Monday 2nd May 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Song of Songs 8.1-5<\/strong><\/p>\n

O that you were like a brother to me,
\nwho nursed at my mother\u2019s breast!
\nIf I met you outside, I would kiss you,
\nand no one would despise me.
\nI would lead you and bring you
\ninto the house of my mother,
\nand into the chamber of the one who bore me.
\nI would give you spiced wine to drink,
\nthe juice of my pomegranates.
\nO that his left hand were under my head,
\nand that his right hand embraced me!
\nI adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
\ndo not stir up or awaken love
\nuntil it is ready!
\nWho is that coming up from the wilderness,
\nleaning upon her beloved?
\nUnder the apple tree I awakened you.
\nThere your mother was in labour with you;
\nthere she who bore you was in labour.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the Song of Songs begins its final chapter it repeats words from earlier chapters. The Shulamite longs for a caress (2.6 and 3.3). Before the New English Translation Bible became deliberately more euphemistic about sex, its first edition read: \u201chis left hand caresses my head, and his right hand stimulates me\u201d. Our scriptures are not so interested in telling women\u2019s stories, so we should beware tucking what we do have behind niced-up words. The Shulamite woman is able to say how she would like to be touched. How good that is.<\/p>\n

But if we are not avoiding the obvious grope, neither can we overlook the woman\u2019s utterly confusing desire that her lover be instead a brother to her, that they could have breastfed together, and chastely kiss in public. What is it she is asking for? Some possibilities: a clumsily stated wish that they could have been in love from the moment of their birth; frustration that male-female relationships are policed in the public domain, except for the closest kin; an attempt to express that she wants to move on from a private erotic love to a communal and holistic one.<\/p>\n

Does your safeguarding instinct go on alert as she shares these fantasies? Is she revealing something about an abusive relationship with one or more of her brothers? There was a hint that they were angry with her, and once forced her to labour in the heat of the day. The hostility in that passage also should cause us to wonder whether this (how young?) woman is safe.<\/p>\n

God desires your wholeness, which includes you being safe from harm, safe from exploitation. We must desire the same for every human person. Our world is safer when we keep our ears, hearts, and instincts on alert for people hinting at harm. Be ready to slow down and listen when others share their stories. Seek safeguarding counsel whenever needed, and to keep yourself ready to listen when a person\u2019s trouble reaches your ears.<\/p>\n

Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you prepare to pray, reflect on this hymn lyric*:
\nAs the secret hurts long hidden
\nmay at last be brought to light,
\nmay the truth unlock the freedom
\nthat is every person\u2019s right.
\nHealing God,
\nmay our community be a place of safety
\nin which all are safe to tell their story.
\nAnd let us celebrate all that is good,
\nand face all that does harm,
\nleaning on your strength
\nand seeking for your justice.
\nAmen.
\n* Safeguarding Hymn – by Ally Barrett (2017)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Song of Songs 8.1-5 O that you were like a brother to me, who nursed at my mother\u2019s breast! If I met you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me. I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother, and into the chamber of the one who … <\/p>\n

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