My very first sermon
My very first sermon in a church service was about Song of Songs. It was a Sunday morning service in a small setting where we all sat around the communion table in a small chapel. No more than thirty people were present. An ideal opportunity to be thrown into the deep as a starting speaker. What better thing to do than to talk about what touched my heart. At that time it was Hudson Taylor’s book Union and communion. It had touched me deeply and it had been a real eye-opener for me.
I preached about how the bride in Song of Songs develops. Her relationship with her lover grows throughout the story. It is the picture of our relationship with the Lord Jesus, the bridegroom. His love for us, for me never changes. The bride, on the other hand, changes all the more. Song of Songs challenges us not to get stuck in our growth process. Fortunately, I received a positive response after my premiere as a speaker. I was allowed to speak again.
Stages in our prayer.
Last weekend, a member of our leadership team, Lian Ferreira, had the turn to speak for us at God’s Embassy. This time she spoke about the stages we go through in our praying. She said, We’re going to look in Song of Songs to see what the stages are. Immediately she had my full attention. I was curious what she would say. Would she bring the same revelations that I had too? She starts with the fact that in the first stage we are still very self-centered. The prayers are about our needs. We have needs and want God to help us. Gradually we become more aware of who our Beloved is. We are in awe and admiration.
Invitation
Of course it is wonderful to be at this stage of falling in love. The temptation is to stay there. The following stage is interesting. He invites us to go with Him and spend time with Him. However the bride’s initial response is negative. She continues to admire the groom but does not go with him. Lian explains in a special way what we are called for. What we are called to do is described in Genesis 1. Our authority was lost with the fall, but restored through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Watch and listen to this special message. It will give you a new and renewed perspective on the calling of your life. It is the message of the kingdom of God brought from our relationship with the Bridegroom.
Dick Westerhof