Friday, April 6, 2007

Maundy Thursday/Good Friday

Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John 13:1b

My Song is Love Unknown

My song is love unknown,
My Savior’s love to me;
Love to the loveless shown,
That they might lovely be.
O who am I, that for my sake
My Lord should take, frail flesh and die?

He came from His blest throne
Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none
The longed for Christ would know:
But O! my Friend, my Friend indeed,
Who at my need His life did spend.

Sometimes they strew 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.

Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight,
Sweet injuries! Yet they at these
Themselves displease, and ’gainst Him rise.

They rise and needs will have
My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they saved,
The Prince of life they slay,
Yet cheerful He to suffering goes,
That He His foes from thence might free.

In life, no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say? Heav’n was His home;
But mine the tomb wherein He lay.

Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King!
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, in Whose sweet praise
I all my days could gladly spend.

Samuel Crossman


3 comments:

Melinda said...

that's a really beautiful hymn.
i'm part of a non-denominational church here, chairs instead of pews, so no hymnals...
and it's a less...academic church crowd than the one at home.
the benefit of the academic church crowd (for me) has been the value placed on the richness of liturgy - and i'm really missing that this easter.

Erin said...

I love the liturgy - it can carry you when you don't have words yourself. And it is tested over time and the thin stuff is dropped and all that is left is the meaty stuff.
Hope you're having a good Easter Day Melinda!

Fr. Aaron Orear said...

Blast it, I got teary just glancing down the verses. "Why, what hath my Lord done?" is the one that gets me. Oy.