Victim Divine, Your Grace We Claim, LBW 202
1 Victim Divine, your grace we claim,
As here your precious death we show;
Once offered up, a spotless lamb,
In your great temple here below,
You did for humankind atone;
And now you stand before the throne.
2 You stand within the holiest place,
As once for guilty sinners slain;
Your blood for sinners intercedes,
Redemption for the world to gain.
Your blood shall still our ransom be,
The payment made to set us free.
3 We have no need to go to heav'n
To bring the long-sought Savior down;
You are to all already giv'n,
And even now your banquet crown.
To ev'ry faithful soul appear,
And show your very presence here.
Devotion
"Victim Divine, your grace we claim, as here your precious death we show
Once offered up. A spotless lamb, in your great temple here below,
You did for humankind atone; and now you stand before the throne"
God bless my wife, Pastor Jennie, who uses the following definition of "victim" when dealing with difficult circumstances with our own children: "Did you have a choice? If you did, then you are not a victim."
So I offer this up to hymnwriter Charles Wesley himself: Did Jesus have a choice? The answer is yes ... and no. God opted to assume the consequences of our sin and in order to do so, he sent Jesus to the cross. Those sins He carried are our sins. His absolute victory cleared the way for God to be in relationship with us, a people who wander often and spook easily. If Jesus is a victim, then we are the perpetrators.
But we all win.
Prayer
Redeeming God, you sent your Son to bring us to you and yet we still run away. Please follow us with your love, open us up to your unrelenting and overwhelming care and lead us into your protection—past the cross and the empty tomb—straight into you. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.