Charles Wesley (1707-88), a prodigious hymn writer, completed some 9000 poems in his lifetime, many of which were set to music. Few of them rival the popularity among such a wide variety of Christian denominations today as "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling." Filled with Scriptural allusions, lofty thoughts and memorable turns of phrase, this hymn is far more than a theoretical consideration of the love of God-or of love generally-but it is a dramatic, personal expression of Divine Love and the changes that an encounter with this Love makes to a Christian in time and eternity.

A common misquote of the first line may lead one to think abstractly. Sometimes we read "Love divine, all love excelling," as if Wesley is speaking of one of the varieties of love-the eros, phileo, agape so often differentiated in wedding sermons. Yet, he specifically says "all loves excelling." Love, whatever kind, takes an object. The things one prizes are a person's "loves," as Christ himself says, "Where your treasure is, there also is your heart." (Mt. 6:21) Loving Christ is better than loving anyone or anything else. It is not sufficient to merely have "love in our hearts." No, we must have Divine Love himself, "Jesus, pure unbounded love," Christ, the "Joy of heaven," who humbled himself and came down to earth from heaven. That the in-dwelling of Christ with his gifts is intended for all, Wesley makes clear by his use in each stanza of the words "every," "us," and especially, "all," for example: "Let us all in Thee inherit," and "Let us all Thy life receive."

How does Love Divine enter our hearts? Wesley prays that the loving Spirit of Christ may "breathe into every troubled breast." We love God because God first loved us. (1 Jn. 4:19) We have the right to inherit the things of God through Christ because God in love has called us "the children of God." (1 Jn. 3). Wesley rightly prays, "Take away the bent of sinning." While our Old Adam never fully dies, yet in Christ we are no longer slaves to sin, we no longer desire to do things that displease God. (Romans 6) Later versions of the hymn substitute "the love of sinning" for "bent," for clarity. Wesley continues, therefore, let Christ be our "Alpha and Omega," the "End of faith (the object of faith), as its Beginning" (its source). The Spirit of Christ alone can truly "set our hearts at liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Let the Almighty come quickly to deliver us and permit us to receive new life in Christ. Let the Spirit of Christ dwell in our hearts and never leave our bodily temples. (1 Corinthians 3 and 6) Let the renewed life render unceasing blessing, prayer, and praise to the Almighty. We may be reminded of Luther's words, "for all that it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him." (Explanation to the First Article of the Apostle's Creed).

Love Divine is the source and object of our faith. Love Divine frees us, giving true liberty. Love Divine motivates, empowers, and sanctifies our lives for service, for endless prayer, praise, and acclamation, and for glorying in Christ's perfect love.

So, then, let Christ complete his new creation (1 Corinthians 5:16-17) Perfection in life is unattainable, but the glory God begins in us reaches perfection in the life to come. (Philippians 1:6) In heaven we shall "cast our crowns" before the Lamb (Rev. 4), so completely focused on Christ, our Love Divine, as to be "lost in wonder, love, and praise." Thanks be to God.

Bemerkung:
This homily addresses one of the hymns chosen for Christ the King Sunday in the Sermons from Goettingen Hymn Festivals remembering Wesley's 300th birthday.

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