an awakened bride

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms;

What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all arms;

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,

Leaning on the everlasting arms,

O how bright the path grows from day to day,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all arms;

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,

Leaning on the everlasting arms,

I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all arms;

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

    Freedom was a post about the two-fold freedom christians have through the Lord Jesus Christ- free from the consequences of our own sin and free from anxiety and fear in everyday life. The hymn above, a recent rediscovery of mine, is a fantastic reminder of the peace we have, knowing that our God is supreme, all-righteous and knowing that he loves us! 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans chapter 8 verse 28

    This is something which is so unimaginable to those who haven't experienced it. The King of the whole universe actually loves us and cares for us. Despite our initial doubts, the bible is positively bursting with reminders of God's love; here is just one example:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?... 

...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

   Did you know that an entire book of the bible is dedicated to the matter of Jesus' love, and is written through the medium of a huge love song?

      At its most simple, Song of Songs is a collection of songs written by the Israeli King Solomon- his #1 albumn: "Solomon: The Golden Years". The songs are sung between a young Solomon and his first-love, a poor but beautiful girl. The girl is assisted in her singing by a 'backing band' of maidens. The imagery used is poignant and powerful, talking in highely poetic language about intimacy and love. The topics discussed are ones that, even in our unbashful contemporary circles, we would be too modest to sing or talk about. This book, contained right in the middle of the Bible, is a beautiful look at sexuality in marriage.

   But its more than just that! Looking deeper at Songs, it is a rich and beautiful metaphor, whereby its prose and story reflects the depth and purity of the love in which the Lord Jesus loves us, his church and chosen people. The Church is pictured as the bride of Jesus, the bridegroom. 

    As we read through it, we first learn about the couple's courtship and the desires each has for one another, then we see the grandeur of the wedding ceremony itself; finally we enter the honeymoon chamber and witness the secret love between the bride's 'my beloved and my friend' and the groom's 'most beautiful of women... a lily amongst the brambles.'

    

    Did you know that God actually created marriage as a way to show how deep and secure his love for us is? Marriage is a visual reminder- with which we are faced every day- to remember  just how sure God's passion for his people is. The Song of Songs helps us to begin to understand the way God feels about his church.

    When I think about my own conversion, I see that I wanted the freedom of Jesus. However I failed to fully grasp- as I continue to fail, even today, 6 years later- the depth, riches and pure mouth-opening wonder of God's love for me. 

    In earlier blogs I have described the joy of being content and the joy of being free, now I add to those the joy of being loved! 

   

• The Joy of Freedom! 
• The Joy of Contentedness!

Freedom

   I live in a peaceful middle-class village in the commuter-friendly no-mans-land somewhere between London and the Midlands. On the whole it is a respectable society. There is, however, one young man who tries to break the trend. Lets call him Marcus.

   Marcus and I went to lower school together and while not really 'friends' we probably classed as 'friendly acquaintances' (although no 7 year old has ever used that phrase, to the best of my knowledge!).

   Marcus changes fashions and stereotypes more often than I change my socks. One week he will be seen skateboarding down the main road, the next he will be skulking under a lamp post with his hoody up. Another week will see him in a long leather coat.

   I have some respect for Marcus. It takes no small bravery to bring the urban-life into a backwater middle-england village. However the slogan on the back of his t-shirt today, which I spotted as I drove past, really left me surprised. It was probably a line from a rock song or a film maybe- but I certainly have never heard it. It said:

In the tomb there is freedom

  That takes some thinking. I pondered for some time over the line. What sort of freedom exactly am I being offered? Presumably the world-view behind the statement is that of an atheist: death is the end, nothingness, no more, zip, throw away the key. The particular brand of freedom on offer, therefore, is simply an end of oppression. Its better to no longer exist- mentally/ spiritually/ consciously- than to be subjected to life on someone else's terms. There is nothing to be gained- in a positive sense- through the tomb, but something can (supposedly) be escaped.

   As am typing this post, Libyan rebel forces are streaming into their capital city, Tripoli. Colonel Gaddafi's 'loyalist' troops are on the retreat; the dictator himself having vanished earlier today. Courtesy of the BBC I can see clips of young men in the back of pick-up trucks waving their semi-automatic weapons and making 'V' signs: victory. They claim to have won freedom from an oppressive tyrant. David Cameron stated that 'the Arab Spring is... one step closer to democracy." and Barak Obama declared: "The people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator". (Quite good that!)

    In the case of Libya it is obvious who the oppressor was. It is harder to establish who the oppressor is in the curious case of Marcus' shirt. I will take a stab in the dark and guess that the combined iron fist of social convention, 'the establishment', moral principles, old people, bosses and managers is the intended 'tyrant'. Or maybe it is talking about the dark corners of a person's own mind? The mental prison in which some are incarcerated? I don't know. But I know this: if the only freedom we can hope for is that of death (in the common worldly sense of death) then it is a hollow hope indeed.

    The God of the bible offers us a different kind of freedom. Its two-fold. And it also involves a tomb.

    The great news of the Christian faith is this: although we are all bound in slavery- a slavery to our own wickedness and sinful inclinations- God sent his only son, who became a slave for us. In ancient Israel there was a legal principle called redemption- it basically allowed a slave to be 'redeemed' by someone else paying for them. Jesus Christ, the son of God, did just that for us. He paid the penalty for us going free. He was crucified, a barbaric form of execution used, but eventually outlawed, by the Romans. Now we are free from slavery.

   This freedom is two-fold. Firstly, we have freedom in death. Our redeemer- Jesus- was killed, but the tomb couldn't hold him. He was resurrected! Likewise believers will have eternal life. The bible promises that God will create new heavens and a new earth to be inhabited by his people. The bible contains these great words:

• So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
  
  

   Secondly, we have freedom now! Freedom in our everyday lives. It is an amazing thing to be re-acquainted with the Christian freedom we enjoy. Two weeks ago I went to St Ives as part of a group called 'The Beach Team'. Every summer across the UK and Ireland UBM sends hundreds of Christians to tell the holiday-makers about the good news of Jesus Christ. Talking to strangers about Jesus is a scary thing, but throughout the week I learnt to trust and rely on God. Rather than relying on myself I learnt afresh to give God the steering wheel. It isn't my charming personality or clever wit which persuades people of God's love, rather it is the Spirit of God working in their hearts. The bible says this:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

    Knowing that we have a totally almighty God who loves us and who is preparing a home in heaven for us really takes the pressure off! Worries about money, mortgages, unemployment, illnesses and the like- while still important things- do not overwhelm us. God is on our side. Paradoxically, surrendering to God brings total freedom right now!


    If you are looking to the tomb for freedom then be warned: it is a hollow dream. The tomb is empty- Jesus has risen and conquered death. Go and find him instead. When I was searching for an answer to my slavery I was pointed to these great words in the bible, and they didn't fail me:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.