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
Hearing the tune for this hymn brings back a memory of seeing Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” The English troops have defeated the French at the battle of Agincourt. They celebrate their victory by singing this tune. When I saw it, King Henry appeared in red and gold on a gleaming white stage. The cast shone as did the faces of the audience. And yet, we know such victories are never permanent. Earthly kings all die, and their regimes perish. As the hymn teaches us, Christ came as one who was humble and poor. He wore “the robe of human frame” to bring us the kingdom. Now that’s something to sing about with trumpets. An eternal king, gentle and kind!
Prayer
Lord God, ruler over all the heavens and earth, we thank you that your reign will never end. We praise you for your great love to us and kindly rule. In Jesus’ name. Amen.