O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

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[The Lord] enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love immigrants because you were immigrants in Egypt.  – Deuteronomy 10:18-19

“Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ – Matthew 25:40

I love the hymn O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.  It has been attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, though it was more likely written by a more obscure Middle Ages poet, Arnulf of Leuven.  I had the privilege to lead my congregation in worship with this song last week.  Here are the verses I’m most familiar with and my favorite version by Fernando Ortega:

O sacred Head, now wounded,

With grief and shame weighed down;

Now scornfully surrounded

With thorns, thine only crown;

How pale Thou art with anguish,

With sore abuse and scorn

How does that visage languish,

Which once was bright as morn.

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered

Twas all for sinners’ gain:

Mine, mine was the transgression,

But thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Saviour!

‘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 for ever;

And should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never

Outlive my love to thee.

I’ve gotten the opportunity to preach for both the Maundy Thursday service at my church and an Ecumenical Queer Tenebrae service this week, so I’ve been reflecting on Holy Week for a while. Christ did not just reveal to us that God is with and for the marginalized. In Christ we discover God IS marginalized. “He was despised and avoided by others;  a man who suffered, who knew sickness well. Like someone from whom people hid their faces,  he was despised, and we didn’t think about him” (Isaiah 53:3). Because of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we dare claim that God is with us, that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. And that is not just true for us who enjoy privilege and “blessing.” It is clearly true for the meek, the hungry, the persecuted.

I feel helpless about a lot of the world’s issues. Like there’s so little I can do that makes a major, meaningful impact for the marginalized and the disinherited. But I know the Gospel is for them as much as it is for me. I know the power of God with us includes them alongside me. I know that how we treat the least of these directly correlates to our supposed love for God. One ongoing issue that started under the Obama administration, worsened under the Trump administration, and is a long way from better under the present administration is the way America treats immigrants at the border.

According to UMC.org, “United Methodists focus on three priorities in immigration: welcoming the stranger, human rights and keeping families together.” I’m proud to have served UM churches that work hard to make a meaningful difference for immigrants. We still have work to do. Please don’t assume that just because anyone but Trump is in the White House that the detentions at the border will magically become humane. I believe Biden needs to demonstrate more transparency with what is happening at our borders as it regards the detention of children and families. Write to your congressperson, get your children and youth to draw pictures and send letters that show that your faith calls for us to welcome the stranger.

I hope you have a blessed Holy Week.  Later this week I’ll be sharing the link to the Queer Ecumenical Tenebrae Service where I’m preaching, and encourage you to check it out!