Godspeed Your Love to Me

Unchained Melody

 
sung by Sarah Mclachlan,
lyrics/music by Hy Zaret and Alex North

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Oh,  my love
My darling
I hunger for your touch
Long and lonely tonight

And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?

I need our love
I need our love
Godspeed our love
Oh, into me

Lonely river flow to the sea, to the sea
Lonely river flow to the sea
Lonely riverside wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home, wait for me

Time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need our love

Godspeed our love
Godspeed your love to me
I need your love
I need your love

Godspeed your love to me

"Return to me, and I will return to you," Malachi 3:7: some have heard these words, 'return to me... ' and maybe thought they were from the script of a movie that played in theaters not so long ago. I did not, myself, connect the source. To my surprise they are from the Torah; while the words are thought to have been written by a person, a Jewish priest in antiquity about the time of Nehemiah's arrival in Jerusalem, circa 445 B.C.E., little else is known about the writer. Yet his wisdom struck a chord with the Hebrew people of the Babylonian post-exile period. Many had lost faith with the G-d of Abraham. Their experiences of exile had not sustained them.

They returned home looking for life, for divine love. Looking, like the above lyrics so dolefully record, for the sea, for water, for life itself. It is a message that, when from the mouth of the prophet Malachi, many today refuse to hear. We pray for unity. During the tumultuous period of the Christian Reformation about 1450-1660C.E.  Malachi was, along with at least eight others, simply written out of the script. Gone. Banished. Today many Protestant Christians, non-catholic, non-orthodox Christians have never heard his message. In other words, the bibles that millions and millions read contain no mention of these prophets at all.  Faith without wisdom is a curious thing indeed.

"My covenant with him was one of life and peace; fear I put in him, and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name." Malachi 2:5 Reminding the people of G-d, Malachi, whose name means, "G-d's messenger," sought a priest to teach, to instruct so that they might find salvation and healing from the uncertainty and confusion of the times. The word 'fear' used here as in other places often means 'respect.'
"Do you still love me? Wait for me. Lonely river. Time goes by so slowly." Some see these types of prophetic writings to be oracles of the future One, who is to come into the world. A new world order is then to be created, cleansed with the fire and water of the Spirit.

"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him.
I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit." John 1:33

"Godspeed your love to me."