‘Jesus’ open love would lead him’ – a hymn inspired by a healing on the Sabbath

Jesus' open love would lead him

The unexpected healing by Jesus on a Sabbath of a crippled, and hence alienated, woman inspired these words:

1 Jesus' open love would lead him
into conflict with the law.
People then, and now, believing,
they know wrong, of this they're sure.

2 Such aggressive condemnation:
not the way we should behave,
we have rules and regulations
plotting how our God can save.

3 These are rules that God has given,
rules that we must strive to keep,
yet it seems that Jesus challenged
norms that made the path too steep.

4 Rules he offered changed perceptions,
moved from punishment to grace,
showed a way of loving, living,
we might risk within this place.

5 Love beyond imagination,
love to heed and to enthral,
love not bounded by rejection,
love that reaches out to all.

Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2013 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England copyright@stainer.co.uk . Please include any reproduction for local church use on your CCL Licence returns. All wider and any commercial use requires prior application to Stainer & Bell Ltd
Metre: 8 7 8 7 Trochaic
Tune: ST CATHERINE (Jones)