One of my favorite Lenten hymns is “Beneath the Cross of Jesus.”  I remember singing it with my family in our small church many years ago.  Actually it goes back to the 19^th century:  text by Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane 1830-1869 and music by Frederick Maker 1844-1927. 

In Melrose, Scotland near Edinburgh, Elizabeth Clephane began writing poems at a young age, a secret that only she and her sister shared.   A frail child, she was known for her generosity.  Only after her death at age 38 were eight of her hymns published, including Beneath the Cross of Jesus.  Originally it bore the title Breathings on the Border.  Written about a year before her death, the message is perhaps autobiographical, providing insight into the comfort the writer found in the shadow of the cross as she anticipated her own death.  The imagery she chooses is full of reassurance:  “the shadow of a mighty rock,” “a home within the wilderness,” “a rest upon the way.” 

As I contemplate the hymn today, a line in the second stanza touches me especially.  “And from my contrite heart, with tears, two wonders I confess; the wonder of his glorious love and my unworthiness.”  The wonder of his glorious love is beyond our comprehension;  we can only bow down in awe.  Perhaps we can begin to grasp the idea of a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present always.  But to fathom how this almighty God would choose to pour out his love, to suffer on that cross for us?  It’s a wonder beyond our understanding.  Our unworthiness just amplifies the wonder of his love.

We know Elizabeth Clephane felt these words deeply.  We are blessed that she chose to express them in this hymn, so that more than 150 years later we still can feel the reassurance of God’s unconditional love as we sing this Lenten favorite.

Judy