O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, ELW 352
1 O sacred head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighted down, now scornfully surrounded with thorns, thine only crown;
O sacred head, what glory, what bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call thee mine.
2 How pale thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn; how does thy face now languish, which once was bright as morn!
Thy grief and bitter passion were all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.
3 What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend, for this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?
Oh, make me thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to thee.
4 Lord, be my consolation; shield me when I must die; remind me of they passion when my last hour draws nigh.
These eyes, new faith receiving, from thee shall never move; for all who die believing die safely in thy love.
Devotion
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
I tease people with whom I work, that this is actually my hymn. The text may be Paul Gerhardt's, but if you move a couple of the words of the hymn, this sinner feels most certainly justified.
All kidding aside, this hymn is usually sung during Lent. It is a stark reminder that the sacrifice of Christ is for our benefit. All emotions are laid bare in this hymn. You can sense the anguish of the writer in meditation on the work of the cross, and at the same time you can sense the plea to be seen holy in the sight of God. The weight of human sin is depicted clearly in this hymn. The Christ lies on the cross, dying in torment, not because of anyone else's work but our own. The work of the cross drives the writer of the hymn to plea that Christ might claim him forever. Christ once again makes a sinner into a saint.
Prayer
Creator of all things, give us eyes to see your love and hearts to thank you for your everlasting grace which sustains in this life, and gives us hope that does not disappoint us. Amen.