We See the Wounded Lamb of God

MUSIC DETAILS:

This SATB choral setting is based on its corresponding hymnal version, while the 2nd verse features the following musical elements:

(1) tenors enter with a direct modulation to A flat major; this will be straight-forward as the pickup note is the tonic of the previous key as well as the dominant of the new key
(2) the tenors carry the melody, not the sopranos :)
(3) the harmonic progression of the second verse oscillates between A flat major and F minor, making heavy use of chromatic elements
(4) there are also some contrapuntal elements
(5) the climax is towards the end of the second verse when Jesus proclaims "It is done!" The first two words are sung in unison and then "done" is on a DbM7 chord, resolving to a Bbm7 in first inversion. The effect is VERY DRAMATIC!

TEXT DETAILS:

In writing this text, I imagined us witnessing the crucifixion first hand. What do we see? What do we hear? What is our response? We see Jesus (the Lamb of God) wounded, rejected and despised. That is such a different picture than we read earlier in the gospels! What a heartbreaking sight! We also know he's on his way to his death, which explains why his face is full of sorrow, his breathing is heavy from carrying the cross and his eyes are filled with anguish. He is despised and rejected. We hear crowds shouting "Crucify!" and at the same time we also hear his friends and family crying in desolation. Then, we hear the hammer on his hands and we see that the sky is turning dark in the middle of the day (!) Finally, the wounded Lamb of God breathes out his final words: "It is done!" Having just witnessed the crucifixion in our mind's eye, what is our response? We come to the Lamb of God and we bring our sin, our shame, our weakness, our tears. He has already taken it all on the cross. We can now be restored back to God's original design for humanity. And someday we will dwell with him eternally!

LYRICS:

We See the Wounded Lamb of God
Ascend the hill of death
We see the sorrow on his face
And hear his heavy breath
We see him walking down this road
With anguish in his eyes
We see the wounded Lamb of God
Rejected and despised.

We hear the thunder of the crowds
Their voices pierce the air
We hear them shouting: "Crucify!"
While others cry in prayer
We hear the hammer on his hands
And see the dark'ning sun
We hear the wounded Lamb of God
Proclaiming "It is done!"

We come to you, O Lamb of God,
With all our sin and shame
We come to you in full regret
For we deserve the blame
We come in weakness and in tears
Restore our faith in thee
We come to you, O Lamb of God,
To dwell eternally.

© 2024 Raluca Bojor. All Rights Reserved.