Bob kept trying to tell me that whenever I go out the basement door, I don't close it all the way, and if it isn't completely closed, we'll get bugs in the house.  And I kept reassuring him that this simply wasn't the case - that I am very careful to make sure the door is shut tight every time I go out. 

Then, one night as I was walking past the upstairs door to the basement I thought I heard something.  I opened the door and listened carefully. After a few moments I went into the den and told Bob, "Honey, there's a cricket singing in the basement that I always carefully shut the door to when I go out." (I figured I'd just get right to the point to save him the trouble).  We both laughed and then I told him to come listen.  We stood at the top of the stairs and heard a most glorious solo performance filling the dark basement below us with melodious sound.  "He's looking for women," I said.  Knowing a few things about crickets, I realized that it is only the males that sing (actually they are rubbing their legs together but it still sounds like singing to me) and that they are, indeed, doing it to attract female crickets.  "Shall we try to find him and let him out so he can find one?" I suggested. After all, since I am so careful about keeping the door shut he certainly wasn't going to find any cricket women to keep him company there in the basement. Bob apparently liked the idea and headed down the stairs into the darkness.  He no sooner reached the last step than the lovely sounds came to a complete stop.  He flipped on the light switch and began walking around the room looking for the now silent lonely bachelor.  Suddenly I heard him call out, "Ah ha!"

 "Honey, did you find him?" I yelled down to him.  "As a matter of fact, I did" Bob replied.  "He found a woman!"  At that point I ran down the stairs to see for myself. Sure enough, sitting face to face (crickets have faces, don't they?) in the middle of the floor were two crickets.  It was obviously love at first sight. Hence the concert had abruptly ended as the two love-bugs did whatever crickets do on their first date.  "Okay, so maybe I have left the door open once or twice" I offered. 

Not wanting to play chaperone (after all, they were obviously both adults), Bob went back upstairs to give the cricket couple a little privacy.  After a while, I managed to carefully catch them both in a cup and then release them back outside for their honeymoon (making sure the door was completely shut when I came back in, and I can assure you that no animals were harmed in the telling of this cricket tale), and as far as I could tell, they lived happily ever after.

Later that evening I was thinking about the wonder of the lonely cricket singing in the darkness, in pursuit of his cricket (or is that crickette?) companion. And how his lovely song, or shall we call it his love song, resonated throughout the dark basement with his glorious song without stopping until he had achieved his goal - that of finding his mate.  Now, I realize that the story of two crickets can't quite be compared to Romeo and Juliette. But the melodious voice penetrating the darkness of the basement did bring another love story to mind - in fact, it reminded me of the greatest love story ever told.  It is the story of the Great Lover, who continues to sing His Love Song into the darkness beckoning His Bride to Himself.  We read, "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (Zeph 3:17). The Song of Solomon describes this beautiful courtship in detail as the Great Lover pursues His beloved: "My lover spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me'" (Song of Solomon 2:10).  And He will not stop seeking, wooing, calling for her until she answers His call. 

But this particular love story will not end in silence. Unlike Mrs. Cricket, Christ's Bride will respond to her Lover's voice with a love song of her own. Isaiah wrote, "I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside" (Isaiah 5:1). The Psalmist joins the song crying, "I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations" (Psalm 89:1). 

And even as the song continues today being joined by all who answer the Great Lover's call, this particular love story will one day have a very happy ending. In fact, the story ends with a most glorious wedding as the Great Lover is eternally united with His then spotlessly beautiful Bride. The Book of Revelation gives us a sneak preview of this wondrous celebration:

"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude... shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad  and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" (Rev 19:6-9). And they all lived happily ever after.

Actually, the story doesn't quite end there. At least not yet. For now, it ends this way: "The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!' And let him who hears say, ‘Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. '" (Rev. 22:17). You see, the Great Lover is still singing into the darkness - into your darkness - inviting you to respond to His call. The Door is still open and the invitation still stands for you to join in the song. A new song - the song of the Great Lover - the Song of the Lamb.

And they sang a new song...In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!...To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" (Rev. 5:9-13).