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
“Oh, love, how deep, how broad, how high” … this ancient hymn draws us into a mystery beyond human imagination. How can we fully grasp a love so vast that the Son of God would take on our fragile humanity for our sake? At times, I wonder if I could trust a God who did not understand my fears or my feelings. But in Jesus, God stepped into our story, into dust, hunger, tears, and weariness so that none of us would ever walk alone.
I cannot fathom the full measure of this love, but I know its rescue. It lifted me when I felt unworthy, and it still searches for the lost, the least, and the lowly. During Lent, we remember that Christ’s love does not give up. It keeps seeking until it finds us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, let your boundless love reach us anew this Lent. Find us, heal us, and draw us close. Amen.