Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?”.  Disciples, crowds and rulers puzzle over this question. Each of us who follows Jesus works towards our own sense of understanding and relationship. What is Jesus’ nature, purpose, and power?

This text owes a debt to Sylvia Dunstan’s iconic “You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd,” perhaps my favorite hymn. I bring humbler aspirations, focusing on our personal experience of the paradoxical mystery of Christ. 

This text is designed to be used with SURSUM CORDA (Smith).

How can we know you, Christ, both earth and sky,
here and hereafter, human and divine?
Begotten by a love so great and wide
you pull in close to put your hand in mine.

How can we know you, Christ, both word and way,
so long awaited, swift to stir and wake?
Disrupting powers, practices, and faith
you offer peace to mend and breath to take.

How can we know you Christ, both yoke and gift, 
struggle to serve and grace we can’t resist?
Confounding death to bridge the great abyss
you rise with joy to live within our midst. 

Teach us to know you Christ, both host and bread,
question and answer, pilgrimage and end.
Confusing wisdom, you give hope instead,
your presence all we need to comprehend.

Text by Hannah C. Brown (c) 2023 GIA Publications, Inc.

This text can be reproduced for worship using One License.