Oh, Love, How Deep (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 322)
1 Oh, love, how deep, how broad, how high,
Beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortal’s sake!
2 He sent no angel to our race,
Of higher or of lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame,
And to this world himself he came.
3 For us baptized, for us he bore
His holy fast and hungered sore;
For us temptation sharp he knew;
For us the tempter overthrew.
4 For us he prayed; for us he taught;
For us his daily works he wrought,
By words and signs and actions thus
Still seeking not himself, but us.
5 For us by wickedness betrayed,
For us, in crown of thorns arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death;
For us he gave his dying breath.
6 For us he rose from death again;
For us he went on high to reign;
For us he sent his Spirit here
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.
7 All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore
Forever and forevermore.
Text: Thomas á Kempis; Music: English ballad; Public Domain
Devotion
Today we focus on verse four of “Oh, Love, How Deep.” What do you see? I see a sacrificial lamb, ready for the altar; a loving God, bruised and battered; a seeking Jesus, reaching out to me and to you. We worship God, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-capable. And yet, God is also all-loving. We are eagerly pursued by Christ, and everything he does is about us. He prays for us, he teaches us, he seeks us. Easter is three weeks away. Where in our lives do we need to stop, turn to Christ, and accept his invitation? Answer his call? Bask in his light? How can we emulate his actions—his selflessness for others? May we have the courage and love to do so: the love that is deep, broad, and high, and beyond all thought and fantasy.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for eagerly pursuing us, night and day. Thank you for praying for us, for teaching us, for reaching out to us. May all our glory go to you, Lord, the only one who deserves it. Amen.