What do you do when the wonder of the first months fades and what remains is bills, exhaustion, and disappointment in yourself? This sermon takes us to the final chapter of the Song of Songs (Song of Songs 8), where a woman comes up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved, and love is described as a seal upon the heart and a flame that many waters cannot quench. Alongside the text come the testimonies of three couples married 37, 45, and 46 years, who say plainly what carried them through their crises. Listen if you want your dreams not to get lost somewhere between “once upon a time” and “happily ever after”.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Song of Songs 8:5 describes a woman coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved. What did the wilderness mean to the first readers of the Old Testament, and what does this image say about the role of a spouse?
- The bride asks, "Set me as a seal upon your heart." What was a seal used for in ancient Israel, and what does this image teach about love and faithfulness?
- The text says many waters cannot quench love and that its flame is "the flame of the Lord." What does it mean to you that true love has its source in God, and how does that shape the way you face a crisis?
- The speaker says that the season of being in love is an opportunity that can be lost through laziness and routine. Where do you see this danger in your relationships, and what helps you overcome it?
- Couples married for decades advised: never give up, talk, pray, forgive, avoid causing pain, and never go to bed angry. Which of these pieces of advice speaks to you most, and why?
- What is one concrete step you can take this week so that your dreams of a good marriage or a close relationship become lived memories?
