by William Vernon Higham, b. 1926
1 O Son of Man, O Son of God, eternal grace Thy painful path had planned, a heavy cross and agony of shame — the way ordained. 2 O death of Christ, O blood divine, O perfect life He lived, all for our gain, fulfilling all the law's demands, and more, He did attain. 3 O bitter cup, O costly task, to meet the wrath of God's own holiness! The Saviour stood, and in my stead He died, my soul to bless. 4 O love of God, O wondrous grace, that such an angry death of anguish sore should pay my penalty and make me whole — O boundless store! 5 O wondrous flood of grace and love, both mingled in the blood as He implored: can this be so, all this for me, my Lord? Thou art adored. 6 Peace through the blood of Christ alone, peace with my God and peace within my soul, peace in that day when He will come at last, my all in all. Amen.
SIDEBAR
Holy Week
This hymn was posted as an aid to meditation for Holy Week 2010
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All the hymns chosen focus our thoughts on the cross of Christ, which is the only thing in which a Christian may boast (Galatians 6:14). They remind us of our sin, the reason for Christ's death. But they point us forward to his coming in glory, the hope of heaven. We need both the backward look to Calvary lest we forget our purification from our former sins (2 Peter 1:9), and the forward look to glory that motivates us to purify ourselves, just as Christ is pure (1 John 3:3).
