O Sacred Head Now Wounded

Here is an arrangement of O Sacred Head Now Wounded that I wrote for string quartet. This summer, I got a quartet together and we played this as part of the Fourth of July program at Fourth Baptist Church in Plymouth, MN.

The text, attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, expresses the sinner's sorrow mixed with joy at the thought of Jesus' amazing love demonstrated by willingly enduring unspeakable suffering for him.  The last stanza rises to intense praise where no language is adequate to express love for the One who showed us what love truly is (1 John 3:16).

(Text below)

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.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."  John 15:13

Psalm 73 - Sonnet

Asaph's first psalm (73) of the eleven in the Hebrew Psalter (73-83) has been one of my favorite psalms.  It is a good psalm for renewing a godward perspective on life.  At first, Asaph, in brutal honesty tells of the doubts raging in his mind as he observes the prosperity of the wicked and the apparent injustice that they are not punished for their wickedness.  But when Asaph seeks the presence of the Lord, his mind is renewed, his perspective is changed and he realizes the uncertainty of this life and the hopelessness of temporal pleasure.

What follows is a paraphrase of Psalm 73 in sonnet form.  If you are familiar with sonnet form, you know that a sonnet is a 14-line poem comprised of 8 lines describing the conflict followed by 6 lines of resolution.  This form fits the composition of this psalm of Asaph nicely.  Lines 1-8 follow verses 1-16 of the psalm and lines 9-14 follow verses 17-28.

Read Psalm 73 then read this sonnet and renew your perspective to trust in your God!

The Lord indeed is good to those who seek

And love Him with a heart to see His hand

But I despaired to see and understand

That proud men prosper far beyond the meek

They live their lives of comfort and of ease

And mock the God that gave them breath of life

But have no retribution for their strife

While righteous writhe in spite of their good deeds

But when I sought the presence of the Lord

Then He made clear to me their dire end

Their judgment is as sure as God’s command

Eternal suffering is their just reward

Lord, Whom have I in heaven above but You?

You are my God, I’ll tell of all You do!