“Oh, Love, How Deep,” verse 4 (ELW 322)
Devotion
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.
For us, Jesus gave his whole life. This means that Jesus died for us, yes, but also, that Jesus lived for us. Jesus prayed and taught and worked for us until his last breath. But what I especially appreciate about Thomas į Kempis’ hymn, "Oh, Love, How Deep," is the way in which it not only shares what Jesus did, but for whom —for us. This is a radical message—especially in a world that tells us in so many ways we are not good enough. We're not smart enough, strong enough, attractive enough, rich enough...In emphasizing our lack, the world so often reduces us and divides us from one another.
But Jesus' invitation was and is for us— all of us. For us he gave his whole life, seeking out the outcast and the marginalized. His acts were not exclusionary; rather, they were acts of restoration. They were acts of restoring people to themselves, to one another and to God—restoration to a wholeness the likes of which the world cannot comprehend.
Prayer
Holy God, we give thanks that for us Jesus gave his whole life so that we might have wholeness in you. Amen.