LBW 385, “What Wondrous Love is This”
Devotion
Yesterday’s hymn was powerful and robust, singing the grand scope of salvation from creation to the glories of heaven.
Today, by contrast, we hear a simple, direct and personal invitation. We join in sweet melodic strains that proclaim the “wondrous love” of Jesus that has power to reach the inner regions of our souls.
In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther emphasizes that the most important thing for us is to hear in God’s Word the promise that it is all “for you.” This hymn invited us to hear the good news that in the depths of our despair, whatever that might be, Christ has met us and has laid aside his crown “for me.” When we grasp the magnitude of such wondrous love, these words can become our song, our theme from now through eternity: Christ laid aside his crown “for me.”
Prayer
O God, help me know in the depth of my soul the wondrous song of your love for me in Jesus Christ. Lift me up from the depths so that this song may remain on my lips today and each day of my life. Amen.