Thought for the day – 3rd April 2020
Reading: “My Song is Love Unknown” by Samuel Crossman
My song is love unknown, My Savior’s love to me;
Love to the loveless shown, That they might lovely be.
O who am I, That for my sake
My Lord should take Frail flesh, and die?
He came from His blest throne, Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none, The longed-for Christ would know:
But oh, my Friend, My Friend indeed,
Who at my need, His life did spend.
Sometimes they strew His way, And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day, Hosannas to their King:
Then “Crucify!” Is all their breath,
And for His death, They thirst and cry.
They rise and needs will have, My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they save, The Prince of life they slay.
Yet cheerful He,To suffering goes,
That He His foes From thence might free.
Here might I stay and sing, No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King, Never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, In whose sweet praise
I all my days, Could gladly spend
If ever a lovesong was written for Jesus this surely is it. Crossman takes us through the whole of Holy Week wondering at the behaviour of a crowd who can hail Jesus as King and liberator one day and then, a few days later “…crucify is all their breath, and for his death they thirst and cry.”. It’s his heartcry which has always struck me – the question “O who am I! That for my sake, my Lord should take frail flesh and die?” Then the powerful “O” in verse 2 “But O my friend, my friend indeed, that at my need his life did spend”. There’s pain in that cry, but more than that, it puts us there, with him, following Jesus with the crowd as he goes to Calvary. Then there’s the resolution at the end with the last question “What may I say?” as Crossman accepts his relationship with Jesus for what it is – a unity in the Spirit through forgiveness. Heaven is Jesus home, but the tomb is ourselves; we each have a responsibility for the death of Jesus but we can, by grace through faith, share in his resurrection. And finally we know and accept our relationship with Jesus – he is King, but he is our Friend, the greatest friend we could ever have, beyond anything we could ever imagine
Prayer – Sit quietly, sit comfortably. Read through the poem again.
Loving Lord Jesus, you love me and have given me the chance ot come to the Father; you have promised me forgiveness. Lord of all – bring me closer to you through the power of the Holy Spirit. I praise you, Lord, that you are King over all. I thank you, Lord, that you are the best of all friends to me. Thank you, Lord.Amen