Sometimes a single line of a hymn or song can touch the mind and heart in an unforgettable way. This may be a very personal experience. Or it may speak to thousands, and lift the hymn beyond a general level of being acceptable to being uniquely eloquent.
We don't need to wait until Good Friday to sing 'How deep the Father's love for us'. Some compositions seem more suited to that day than to any other; some were written for the occasion. Certainly this year we can be sure that Stuart Townend's song will again be widely used and valued.
Its theology is bold and biblical. Judged by the strict standards of classic hymns, it falls some way short of rhyme scheme. Watts, Wesley, or Dudley-Smith might see it as a first draft to be duly worked at. The same is true of many Kendrick or Redman songs; their advocates would say we are using the wrong yardstick. But a couple of lines mark this out for me as something special; before I come to them, a story from Iran.
