Holy Saturday, April 4 - When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Scripture:
“May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” — Galatians 6:14

Hymn Focus:
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

“When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died.”

“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Lent invites us to pause and survey—to look long and honestly at the cross. Isaac Watts’s hymn asks us not merely to glance at Christ’s suffering, but to consider it deeply. In that careful looking, our values are rearranged and our pride is undone.

The hymn begins with wonder and quickly moves to humility. Standing before the cross, the symbols of human achievement lose their shine. “My richest gain I count but loss.” Lent helps us name what we cling to for security or status and lay it down, recognizing that true life is found not in self-exaltation but in self-giving love.

As we continue to survey the cross, we see love made visible and costly. Christ’s sacrifice reveals both the gravity of sin and the immensity of grace. Lent holds these truths together: repentance shaped by honesty and hope rooted in mercy.

The hymn’s final line presses toward response. To behold such love is to be called into transformation. Lent is not only a season of reflection; it is a season of reorientation—where our lives are aligned again with the love that “demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Prayer

Crucified and risen Lord, As we survey the wondrous cross this Lenten season, strip away our pride and self-reliance. Open our eyes to see your love clearly and our hearts to receive it deeply. May gratitude shape our repentance and devotion guide our lives, as we follow you in humility and hope. Amen.