In Body and Being Beautiful
As I write I am sitting in Basel Airport awaiting the first of three flights home. Wibke and I arrive home this evening and it’s back to work tomorrow where preparations for the weekend will continue in earnest. On Sunday I get to teach the third lesson in our Naked and Unashamed series which takes us through the book of Song of Solomon. I’ll follow right on from where Brad left off last weekend. Brad worked through the opening verses of Songs reminding us that marriage provides the hope that what is divided can be united. In marriage two become one. Two lives become one Two dreams become one. Two paths become one. That is the spiritual reality. Every couple knows, however, that the path to personal and emotional unity leads us through many a twisting road. When I teach on Sunday Wibke and I will be celebrating twenty-three years of marriage. We spent the opening years of our married life very close to where I am sitting right now. These opening years were great years but they were very difficult years. Wibke and I were so different. We spoke different languages, had different backgrounds and brought very different experiences and expectations into our marriage. While our two lives became one on our wedding day, the path to personal and emotional unity took a while to truly forge. We both brought unique experiences and circumstances into our marriage that we needed time to work through. My message title on Sunday is: “In Body and Being Beautiful.” My text is Songs 1:5-2:2. Having experienced the joy of the wedding day, the couple heads for the wedding chamber. Rather unexpectedly, however, the bride shares some of her unique experiences that she takes into the marriage with her. On Sunday we’ll see how her sense of inadequacy, her painful past, is something that needed to be worked through for emotional and personal unity to be experienced at the deepest level. I’ll be talking about a woman on Sunday but the fact is, this could just as well be a man. This type of struggle isn’t exclusive to women. Men bring their issues into a marriage as well. On Sunday I will explore how the poem both encourages and challenges couples to work through their past so that unity can be experienced at the deepest level. I’m hoping that you will be able to join us. For parents out there, the message has a PG rating this week, rather than a PG13. I’ve only given it a PG rating because I’ll read Songs 8:8-9 at one point. Parents, have a look at that passage and if you are comfortable with it, your children will be fine in the service. Looking forward to Sunday. Time to board …
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