Sometimes the simplest of words and a simple haunting melody will penetrate our hearts and have a profound effect upon our souls. Such is the case of the hymn “What Wondrous Love Is This.” The lyrics and tune have their roots in the Appalachian region of North America reaching back to the early 1800s.

Even earlier than that, this mournful melody and these heart-wrenching words can be traced back to Ireland, a land full of tales of leprechauns and pots of gold at the end of a rainbow. You might be asking yourself, “Can this song mean anything to me in the modern world?”

Let me answer with a resounding, “Yes!” “What Wondrous Love Is This” continues to be performed in various religious denominations. And among these, its text and music can be found within the pages of THE BAPTIST HYMNAL.

“What Wondrous Love Is This” presents the following THEMES STANZA BY STANZA:

Stanza One: the Lord of bliss leaving heaven because of His profound love for us. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NIV).

Stanza Two: Christ laying aside His crown to redeem us. The image of the crown laid aside  symbolizes the deity’s humanness. Putting aside that crown symbolizes the very human pain of crucifixion.

Stanza Three: the worshiper, along with millions of other worshipers, singing praise to God who is the Old Testament “I AM” as in Exodus 3:14 “I AM WHO I AM.” And to the Lamb of God in the New Testament. “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:29 NIV)

Stanza Four: the singer celebrating passing from life on earth through death into an eternal (never-ending) existence with God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).

Thus, the “Sacred, Wondrous Love” of Holy Week is preparing us for the beginning of the Easter Season when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection—victory over sin and death. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV).

Wondrous Love
Connie Carlisle Polley, 2026
ConnieCarlislePolley.com
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