Love Claimed the Victory

I’m a faithful choir member, but I don’t sing solos. Not usually, anyway. But our choir director was looking for several people to sing at the Good Friday Tre Ore services, and most people were at work then. Since I have a flexible schedule, I volunteered.

I decided to sing “What Wondrous Love Is This” because I love the melody and it fits comfortably within my range. But when I looked at the words, I had a problem. Here is the full hymn.

What Wondrous Love is This

(American Traditional, Author Unknown)

What wondrous love is this, oh my soul, oh my soul,
What wondrous love is this, oh 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. 

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,

When I was sinking down, sinking down.

When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul. 

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing,

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.

To God and to the Lamb, Who is the great I AM,

While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,

While millions join the theme, I will sing. 

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 and joyful be,

And thru eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,

And thru eternity, I’ll sing on.

 

I didn’t think the last two verses worked well for Good Friday, but a single verse wasn’t long enough and the second verse didn’t feel like a good ending point. Should I find something else to sing?

Fortunately, one of the advantages to being a writer is that if you need a new verse, you can write it yourself. So that’s what I did. I sang the first two verses of “What Wondrous Love Is This,” but I left off the last two and ended with this one of my own composition.

He died upon a tree, for my soul, for my soul,

He died upon a tree, for my soul.

He died upon a tree, from Sin and Death I’m free.

Love claimed the victory for my soul, for my soul,

Love claimed the victory for my soul. 

It’s not great poetry, but neither are the other verses. And it achieves what I wanted. It works for Good Friday while anticipating Easter.

More importantly, it’s true. Christ’s death on the cross was pure love, and it did claim the victory for my soul. My soul and yours.

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

__________

The picture shows part of the detail of a stained glass window in Cologne Cathedral. I took the photo while visiting Cologne, Germany last year.