We will remember
We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love
(Song of Solomon 1:4).
I always think the opening verse of Dr T. E. Purdom’s hymn fits so well with verse 4 of the first chapter of the Song of Solomon:
Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour Thou,
With joy we worship Thee;
We know Thou hast redeemed us,
By dying on the tree.
We come into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, recognising the glory of His Person and knowing Him as our Saviour. As a result, joy and worship flood our hearts as we remember His redeeming love and the cost of our salvation.
The Lord has asked us to remember Him. He took from the table a simple loaf of bread and an ordinary cup of wine to describe the profound lowliness and amazing grace of His wonderful life laid down in death. Luke records the Lord’s words, “This is My body which is given for you” and “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20). The Lord Jesus focuses our hearts on the love that He has for us, and ensures that, even in the smallest groups, in the most constrained circumstances, and with the most simple things, we would always be able to “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
We come together to remember the Lord and to express our gratitude to Him for His redeeming love. In the spirit of John 12 we ‘make Him a supper’. But in doing this, we discover that it is the Lord who brings us into His presence to overwhelm us with His love:
He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love (Song of Solomon 2:4).
The banqueting house, or the “house of wine”, is a vivid illustration of joy. The first sign of the Lord’s ministry in John’s Gospel was when the Lord changed water into wine at the wedding in Cana in John 2. Wine is used positively to express joy. In the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 the Samaritan poured into the man’s wounds oil and wine. Over and over again in the New Testament, salvation is associated with joy. We have the experience of remembering the depths of the Lord’s suffering for us and entering with Him into His joy.
In the final chapter of the Song of Solomon we are reminded that “Love is as strong as death” and that “Many waters cannot quench love” (8:6, 7). We look back to Calvary to see the depth of Christ’s love for us. We look up to Him now in glory and are assured the flame of the Lord’s love for us has never diminished.
We remember the Lord in the simplicity of His Supper until He comes again. In that day we shall discover just how much the Lord loves us. In the meantime, may His glorious love transform and flow through our lives for His glory.
