How do I love thee?

 Scripture Luke 1:26-38.  NRSV  

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

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Good morning on this 4th Sunday of Advent, Love Sunday.  This is one of the busiest times of the year for pretty much everybody, but especially for church folk, and even more especially for the people of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Selma.  In a period of less than a week we offer no less than five opportunities to recognize the holiness of this season in one way or another.  In case you missed it, Friday night Jordan and Jessica and Friends performed their annual Christmas concert virtually to showcase amazing talents and raise funds for charities dear to their hearts.  This year it was for all of the ministries this congregation supports with monthly donations.  Saturday night was the Annual Community Church Choir concert, also a virtual event.  There were fewer participants this year, but they did it.  Both of these musical celebrations were shown on YouTube and are still available to watch, in case you missed one or the other.  Tomorrow evening is our Longest Night  service, in which we recognize that Christmas is not a very joyful time for some of us.  That will be on YouTube at 7 pm.  And on December 24th at 5:30 pm we will once again offer a Christmas Eve service jointly with the First United Methodist Church, also on YouTube.    All of these events have required a great deal of coordination, planning, and technical skill.  Much more than usual as we are still worshipping online for an unknown period of time, and that is much more complicated to put together than when we worship in person.  I would like to lift up the Quarantine Qrew - Kenneshae, Jessica, Jorge and Joe - who are amazing singers and serve as our worship leaders, and Jordan Williams.  Jordan arranges and organizes all of this. Not just the music, but the technical aspects as well.  He takes all of the disparate parts of the event which either he recorded in the sanctuary or which we recorded individually and sent to him and puts all that together seamlessly. He does this for every Sunday service, but this week he has outdone himself, presenting five beautiful, meaningful, worshipful events for the glory of God.  Thanks be to God.

I titled this message “How do I love thee?” after the sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  Like everyone else, I knew the first line and I had heard she wrote this poem for Robert Browning, who fell in love with her poetry and with whom she had a secret long distance relationship because of her father’s objections.  They did marry and move to Italy, so there was a happy ending.  I had learned those things but. . .  (don’t tell anyone) I had never read this sonnet before Friday!  I really avoided all things that even looked like poetry after my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. McClintock, made us all memorize a very long poem every month and then recite it in front of the class.  This was traumatizing.  It wasn’t until I was forced to read poetry in Freshman English at Chapman University (like 35 years later!) that I discovered poetry wasn’t all terrible.  (My thanks to Dixie Durham) I started to like some of it.  I even started to write some.  So, on Friday I read this sonnet for the first time.  It is certainly a love poem, but it seemed to me more about love of God than love of a person.  So I started reading about her life and works and learned that much of her work had a very strong religious theme.  So, for those of you who have also not read this sonnet or disremember it, I would like to share it with you.

 How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

(Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/how-do-i-love-thee-by-elizabeth-barrett-browning)

Writing love poems or letters to God is not that unusual.  The Song of Solomon, which has parts that seem to be pretty explicitly about human love also has parts that read much more as if God is the person loved.  Rainier Rilke’s Book of Hours is subtitled “Love letters to God.” Some of the female mystics of medieval times wrote about visions that were almost orgasmic in their description of their love for God.  The vast majority of believers don’t quite get to that point, but there are times, often while singing in worship, when we might find ourselves transported - so very much in love with God at that moment in time that our feelings for any human must take second place. It’s that moment. . .When your hands raise up without conscious effort.  When the tears flow unimpeded and unheeded.  When your heart feels so full of love you almost can’t breathe . . .  And there are no words to express how you feel.    

There are some songs that get me that way when I am singing them . . I love you Lord and I lift my voice.  Step by Step.  Here I am, Lord . . .  There are others that take me to that place when I hear them performed.  I imagine you have your own list of love songs you sing to God.  

And God sings love songs to us, when we are listening.  God tells us in so very many ways just how we are loved.  Throughout Scripture God speaks of the relationship we have with each other as that of bride and groom.  Indeed, that feeling we have for God in those moments of transport can be a lot like the way it felt when you looked in your spouse’s eyes and said, “I do.”  Again, the Song of Solomon can be read as describing the intimate relationship existing between God and human.  God speaks to us through the prophets with words of love and affection.  Even when we have been unfaithful, when our attention turned to something else so that we stopped paying attention to our beloved, our God, still God loved us.  

How do I love thee? God asks.  Here, let me show you the ways.  Let me show you what love looks like.  And then, God chose one young woman out of all the young women in the tribes of Israel to bring Love into the world.  To bear a son, God’s own son, who would go out from her house to tell all the world “God loves you.”  And who would teach us to do the same. 

When we say to God, How do I love thee?  Our answer will be seen clearly in the ways we love one another.

My friend and colleague Sandhya Jha wrote a daily devotional, titled Liberating Love:  365 Love letters from God.   Every day includes a passage from scripture followed by a love note from God to us.  For today, December 20th, the reading comes from Colossians 3:14 “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

and God says

“Today I want to offer you a playful request: what does it look like when you are clothed with love?  Are you decked out in vibrant neon or cool forest colors?  Is it sparkles or silk or denim?  Do the clothes look different depending on the occasion? How will you clothe yourself with love today so that everyone admires your wardrobe? (And when they do, let them know you got your clothes from me...they are priceless.)”  (Chalice Press, 2020.  Pg 355.)

So I present you with a challenge - a Discipleship Challenge.  How will you clothe yourself with love, so that everyone admires your wardrobe?