Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Our Groom Waits." I read from Psalms 45:1-9 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.
Psalm 45
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A wedding song.
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,
since God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
5 Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.
8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces adorned with ivory
the music of the strings makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings are among your honored women;
at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
According to the superscript just below the title of Psalms 45, we know this psalm is a wedding song written by the Sons of Korah. The songwriters are pretty stoked about it because the song is for the king. Thanks to the author of Hebrews quoting verses 6-7 in his letter in the New Testament, we know the groom in the song is Jesus. From other references in the New Testament, we know that the bride in the song is the church. Now we can really appreciate the song! Jesus, the Son of God, our Jesus, the One who offered His life on the cross that we might have the forgiveness of our sins, now sits at the right hand of God on a throne that will last forever. He is dressed as a warrior, adorned with splendor and majesty. He has a sword girded to His side and carries a bow and arrow. An angel holds His horse at the ready. He is filled with zeal and sense of purpose, yet He waits patiently for His Father's command to settle all affairs. On Earth, the kingdom of God, the church, you and me and all others, the bride, is regally adorned waiting for Jesus to come and take us home. As we assemble to partake of the Lord's Supper today, I believe it is a time of mixed emotions for Christians. We may have these mixed emotions because we know the rest of the story thanks to prophecies like those found in Psalms 45. We are grieved that Jesus had to offer His life for our sins. We are horrified by the suffering He endured leading up to and on the cross. Yet, our sadness is turned into joy as Jesus is resurrected from the dead. Then, our joy is made complete knowing that He is at the ready, waiting to return to take us home. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, our minds can consider all of these things in a moment of time. In the end, our hearts are filled with gratitude to Jesus and His Father for saving us. Let us pray.
Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, thank-you for sharing this amazing passage of Scripture with us in which we see our Savior Jesus waiting to claim His bride, the church. There is excitement at every level including the songwriters who penned this psalm. In a world gone wrong, these are sweet words of encouragement as we press on as individuals and the church. As we partake of the Lord's Supper today, we are amazed by His love for us that He would give His own blood to save us. In the psalm, the bride is adorned with gold but that is because of Your sacrifice and not through our feeble works. We are waiting to see You, dear Lord. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV).
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.
And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"
Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!
