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” is a hymn of triumph. Written in the 15th century, it is likely that this hymn was composed with the spirit of militaristic victory. And what a victory and celebration it is to think of the love of God at work in the world, conquering evil and hatred, marching through a world attracted to violence and power, and overturning those structures with ease. This hymn celebrates the large scope of God’s love through especially the life and person of Jesus. It goes through, piece by piece, what it looked like for God’s love to take on flesh as Christ and live among us. In the history of the church, it is always necessary to remember that the kind of life that Christ lived is vital to help us understand the kind of death he died, and the power of the resurrection itself. Taken together, the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is a great triumph of love.
Prayer
Lord of Love, may we walk through the world this week being animated by the triumph that the life of Christ is for us all. Surround us with this love and help us to march into our own battles with violence, pride, pain, hurt, and all that meets us, knowing that it is love that marches forward in triumph. Amen.