A Hymn For Holy Thursday

Christ the Word! Thine Incarnation

Christ the Word! Thine incarnation
Links my nature to Thine own;
By Thy sore humiliation,
I am lifted to Thy throne;
By Thy suffering Thou hast fired me
With a zeal to sacrifice,
And to noble life inspired me:
Hence my grateful songs arise.
Word of God! Thy crucifixion
Hath upraised me from the earth;
By Thy death and dereliction,
Thou hast given me nobler birth;

By Thy resurrection glorious,
Life immortal now I own:
Hence ascend my songs victorious
To Thy praise, O Christ the Son.
By Thy hand at the creation,
Thou didst form me from the ground,
And, to mark my kingly station,
With Thine image I was crowned;
And that hand, when pierced and bleeding,
Raised me from corruption’s mire;
And, though all this love unheeding,
Decked me with Divine attire.
Thou who gav’st my soul its being,
Breathing in me life Divine,
Didst, by Thine all-wise decreeing,
Unto death Thy life resign;
And from death my soul defending,
Thou didst sojourn with the dead,
That Thou might’st, my fetters rending,
Raise me up, Thou glorious Head!

Shame be on your heads abiding,
Disobedient people now,
Who to death, and vile deriding,
Caused the Word of God to bow!
Shame! for death, nor powers infernal,
Nor the dark of hades’ gloom,
Could retain the King Eternal
In the bondage of the tomb. (This hymn can be found in John Brownlie’s translation of Hymns of the Early Church. At ccel.org, simply do a search for John Brownlie’s name, look under the category “Palm Sunday” and you will find it easily.)

Scripture Extract: John 13:6-9
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Prayer:
Friend, I would give everything for you. But to promise this is already to misunderstand you, already to disbelieve you, for you alone are all in all and apart from you I can do nothing. Gracious Lord, you have called us friends. Then bind us to your goodness and bless us again to live truly in friendship with you. Through Jesus Christ we pray this. Amen.