What Wondrous Love Is This—Words: Attributed to Alexander Means. This hymn is often sung during the Lenten season throughout the Church of the Lutheran Confession and the world. It’s found in our Worship Supplement 2000 hymnal (#723), and the melody with its haunting modal or “mountain minor” character surely enhances its
powerful words (verses 1 and 4 are listed below). This timeless Amercan folk hymn expresses God’s agape love and makes a “sweet” meditation on Christ’s wonderful love (st. 1) which brought about our salvation—to which believers respond with praise now and through eternity (st. 4).
Verse 1:
What wondrous love is this,
O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this,
O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse
for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful
curse for my soul!
Verse 4:
And when from death I’m free,
I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free,
I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free,
I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity,
I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And through eternity,
I’ll sing on.
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
John 15:13