Lamb of God

Twila Paris's “Lamb Of God” is a prayer addressed to the Father about the Son. The first verse says he was sent from heaven with “no sin to hide,” to “walk upon this guilty sod” and “become the Lamb of God.” Each line is a small step in the incarnation story, moving from the Father's decision to the Son's arrival on a sinful earth.

The second verse is the crucifixion in four lines. The gift of love is crucified, he is laughed at and scorned, and “the humble King” is called “a fraud” and sacrificed. The chorus responds in worship, “Oh, Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God,” and asks, “wash me in His precious blood.” The last verse is personal: “I was so lost, I should have died, but You have brought me to Your side,” and the song ends by calling the singer a lamb of God too, led by the shepherd's “staff and rod.”

The title comes from John 1:29, where John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. A sinless sacrifice is 1 Peter 1:19, and the staff and rod lines draw on Psalm 23:4.