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
When we focus on verse three, we see highlighted one important theme that plays throughout the hymn. The hymn recounts the whole of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus by repeating that this was all for us. The phrase “for us,” repeated 13 times, especially captures our attention. Nothing in the life of Jesus is spoken of outside of this focus and intention. The love of Christ simply cannot be understood outside of the direction of that love, which was and is for us. Even amidst the temptation of the enemy, where it may have been easy to succumb to power as a mark of strength, Christ chose humility for us. By doing so we may know that true love is that which reaches out to others and overcomes the greatest evil of the world—not for power, but for us.
Prayer
Thank you for being for us. As we continue to move closer to Easter, we remember that you have provided for us all that we need. We look for your presence at work, we join in the reconciling movement of your spirit, and we stand in your peace and in your grace. Mold us evermore to be a people of love. Amen.