Love Unknown

Sunday night we heard and meditated on the "Seven Last Words" - with the Haydn sonatas providing the environment for reflection following the College Church pastors' devotions based on the sayings of Jesus upon the cross. Perhaps better suited for Good Friday (Haydn's work was in fact written for the Good Friday services of a particular church), the service nevertheless served us well as we entered Passion Week. To contemplate the love and grace of our Lord, expressed through his agony, in these memorable statements, was a gift of time and words and music.

Just now I have come back from the sanctuary, where things are already set for the Good Friday service. The cross in place, the table ready for the elements signifying the body broken, the blood shed, the banners proclaiming the work and praise of the suffering Servant. With the "Last Words" ringing in our ears, we will next be in a service that lingers on this mercy, this grace.

What a fitting conclusion to that service, then, as we again sing of the great love of God for his people. For it is not a hymn of our love for God. But always, and fittingly, of his love for us.

My song is love unknown, my Savior's love to me,
love to the loveless shown, that they might lovely be.
But who am I that for my sake
my Lord should take frail flesh and die?
    He came from heaven's throne, salvation to bestow;
    but they refused  and none the longed-for Christ would know.
    This is my friend, my friend indeed,
    who at my need his life did spend.
Sometimes they crowd his way and his sweet praises sing,
resounding all the day hosannas to their king.
Then "crucify" is all their breath,
and for his death they thirst and cry.
    With angry shouts they have my dear Lord done away;
    a murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay!
    Yet willingly he bears the shame
    that through his name all might be free.
Why, what has my Lord done to cause such rage and spite?
He made the lame to run and gave the blind their sight.
What injuries! Yet these are why
the Lord most high so cruelly dies.
    Here might I stay and sing of him my soul adores.
    Never was love, dear King, never was grief like yours!
    This is my friend in whose sweet praise
    I all my days could gladly spend.

Samuel Crossman, 1664;

rev. 1982 (c) Hope Publishing Co.

Every year more people are introduced to this hymn in our (and many another) Good Friday service. And each year, more people look forward to singing it again. I pray that its narrative, and its response, would constantly be shaping our hearts as we

Sing on

For the Living of These Days, 6

And so we come to the last of our Lenten hymns. Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of our Easter season services. Jesus' conflicts have been many, and they will only get worse as next week unfolds. He has suffered in many ways throughout his life and ministry; but the greatest suffering is yet to come. He has been despised and rejected by many; he will ultimately be despised and rejected by all. What most of the Church calls "Holy Week" I have learned to call "Passion Week." Because even from the moment of his "triumphal" entry into Jerusalem Jesus suffers - he is in conflict, he is misunderstood, he is abandoned. Ultimately, he is forsaken. All this, and then he goes to the cross and there all this comes upon him at once, and finally.

This is the Savior, who came not to be served, but to serve. This is the high priest who is the sacrifice, and the altar, and the foundation of the temple. We have walked through Lent knowing the full story; in our coming services we "re-live" the story, knowing from this side of the cross how it turns out - yet needing to be reminded again that it was for us. And desiring again to live in loving, joyful, grateful response to that great work.

We end these Lenten hymns with one of the most ancient of Chrisitan hymns still in use:

Lord Jesus, think on me, and purge away my sin;
from earth-born passions set me free, and make me pure within.
    Lord Jesus, think on me, with care and woe oppressed;
    let me thy loving servant be, and taste thy promised rest.
Lord Jesus, think on me, amid the battle's strife;
in all my pain and misery be thou my health and life.
    Lord Jesus, think on me, nor let me go astray;
    through darkness and perplexity point thou the heavenly way.
Lord Jesus, think on me, when flows the tempest high:
When on doth rush the enemy, O Savior, be thou nigh.
    Lord Jesus, think on me, that, when the flood is past,
    I may eternal brightness see, and share thy joy at last.

Greek, Synesius of Cyrene (375-430)

Tr. A. W. Chatfield (1808-96)

In the living of these days,

Sing on!

For the Living of These Days, 5

It is a temptation easy to fall to, to feature today the famous prayer of St. Patrick. As things go, St. Patrick's Day always falls during Lent. And this prayer (from which we also have a hymn, italicized below) is certainly apt for our theme, "For the living of these days."

I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three.
I bind this day to me forever by power of faith Christ's incarnation,
his baptism in the Jordan river, his death on the cross for my salvation;
his bursting from the spiced tomb, his riding up the heavenly way,
his coming at the day of doom I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to harken to my need,
the wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward,
the Word of God to give me speech, his hevenly host to be my guard.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me;
Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three,
of whom all nature hath creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word;
praise to the God of my salvation, salvation is of Christ the Lord!

attributed to St. Patrick, c. 430

para, Cecil Frances Alexander, 1889

So focused, surrounded, and filled with Jesus, let us

Sing on!

For the Living of These Days, 4

It is a season for "heart work." Today's seasonal prayer hymn may not normally be associated with Lent, so I was interested to see it in that section of one of my hymnals. If you associate this text with the robust tune AZMON (O for a thousand tongues to sing) - as it is in Hymns for the Living Church - you may miss the aptness of this text for today. A common meter text, I suppose there are many possible melodic options. The tune BELMONT serves nicely.

O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free;
a heart that always feels thy blood
so freely spilt for me.
   A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
   my dear Redeemer's throne;
   where only Christ is heard to speak,
   where Jesus reigns alone.
A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean,
which neither life nor death can part
from him that dwells within.
   A heart in every thought renewed,
   and full of love divine;
   perfect and right and pure and good,
   a copy, Lord, of thine.
My heart, thou know'st, can never rest
till thou create my peace;
till of mine Eden repossest, [sic]
from self, and sin, I cease.
   Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart,
   come quickly from above;
   write thy new name upon my heart,
   thy new best name of love.

Charles Wesley (`1707-88)

I have left the text intact as I found it, with a couple of verses we don't normally see in the hymnals, and with presumably fewer hymnal editors' emendations. I find that taking it out of the context in which we normally sing it has brought fresh meaning to my experience of it.

Sing on!

For the Living of These Days, 3

When the days drew near for [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51) So Luke foreshadows that this trip to Jerusalem "will not end well" by human standards. Immediately along the way he is rejected by Samaritans, and also welcomed by a number of well-meaning people who had not counted the cost of following. (Contrast Thomas, who later, in another context and another gospel, famously suggested "Let us also go, that we may die with him." John 11:16) Jesus addressed one of these wanna-be disciples with these arresting words: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)

The prayer which is today's seasonal hymn reminds us that these are days to consider the plowing ahead of us as we follow Jesus to Jerusalem.

Eternal Lord of love, behold your Church
walking once more the pilgrim way of Lent,
led by your cloud by day, by night your fire,
moved by your love and toward your presence bent:
Far off yet here - the goal of all desire.
   So daily dying to the way of self,
   so daily living to your way of love,
   we walk the road, Lord Jesus, that you trod,
   knowing ourselves baptized into your death:
   So we are dead and live with you in God.
If dead in you, so in you we arise,
you the first-born of all the faithful dead;
and, as through stony ground the green shoots break,
glorious in springtime dress of leaf and flower,
so in the Father's glory shall we wake.

Thomas H. Cain, 1982 (c) 1982

meter: 10 10 10 10 10

All our seasonal worship points to, is informed by, and properly includes the confident hope of Resurrection. Jesus knew that was before him, beyond the cross. And it is our great hope as well. Resurrection morning is but the capstone of our year. The real glory is still ahead of us!

Sing on!