Art and Longing

I had an epiphany on the purple couch this morning when Cindy told me about the process of a traditional Hebrew wedding.

First, the Father would choose a husband for his daughter and discuss arrangements with him (dowry, terms, etc.). Then suitor would be invited over for dinner, and at some point during the evening, drink from a glass of wine. If the daughter accepted, she would drink after. At the moment she puts that cup to her lips and drinks, she is married.

The husband, or "soon to be" then goes away to build a house for her. They do not consummate their marriage until he comes back, (usually a year later) and sweeps her off into a new life.

Here's the interesting part:

The bride would not know the exact day or time the husband would come home, only the "season." So if it was in springtime, she would have to be ready at all times for him to come home. It was a season of longing, waiting, and preparing even though she was already his.

If the bride is the metaphor God has given us for the church, then maybe this whole life on earth is the season of that longing.

Sometimes I feel like I'm wasting my time writing love songs, but if I really believed the trajectory of history from the angle of scripture--God saving, humans waiting, God coming--then wouldn't love and longing be the most important thing to write about?

Love songs help us cope with longing. They help us wake up desires from death and keep the lamps burning when they so frequently go out, and they remind us what we're hoping for. Art does this better than anything, and I guess until now I've underestimated how important it was.