Thursday, March 21, 2024  

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Today's Hymn
“O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”

O sacred head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed 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.

translation by James Waddell Alexander (1830)
Hymn 221, Glory to God
verse 1

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Reflection

Although this is quite a familiar Lenten hymn, I had to read it many times before thinking about what I could possibly write. The words are so heavy, so striking, so dramatically mournful.

The hymn’s lyricist, Bernard of Clairvaux (a theologian and mystic), drew from a poem he penned, reportedly around 1150. The poem talks intimately about the body of Christ as he was tortured on the cross. The piece has seven sections, each addressing a specific part of Christ’s body. In my reading, these verses are as much a physical portrait as poetry. The writer conveys the pain and suffering up and down our savior’s body — his head, heart, breast, side, hands, knees, and feet.

As humans, we all experience ignominy, anguish, and fear. In oh-so-mortal fashion, Jesus experiences these same emotions before and during his crucifixion — times 10,000: “O sacred head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down; now scornfully surrounded with thorns, thy only crown.”

I admit that I rarely think deeply about the excruciating painful sacrifice of Jesus. When reflected upon, this hymn brings us closer to him as he makes the ultimate sacrifice. As one reads the hymn, line by line, we are drawn closer in deepest gratitude to Jesus as we better understand his unfathomable sacrifices on our behalf: “Yet though despised and gory, I joy to call thee mine.”

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Prayer
I pray to be ever and always thankful, awesomely, for the Lord’s astounding gift to all who believed in him — the brutal death of his only Son. Creator God, help me to understand this mysterious gift more fully from you as a message to pledge to commit myself more fully to live by Jesus’ word and deeds. Amen.

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Written by Betsy Storm, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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