“O the Depth of Love Divine” was written in 1745 by Charles Wesley as a poem/hymn describing how God’s grace is available and given to all people through Holy Communion in the Christian Tradition. This is not a hymn that provides answers about how Christ is present and God’s grace is conveyed, but simply marvels that grace is indeed given. In the United Methodist tradition we practice “open communion”–meaning ALL people are welcome at God’s table and that God’s grace is made available and tangible to all.
Charles and his brother John Wesley were the founders of the renewal movement in the Anglican Church that eventually became the Methodist Church. This is my own setting of the hymn, but you can find Carlton Young‘s (famous arranger of hymns & the hymnal) setting of “O the Depth of Love Divine” in the United Methodist Hymnal #627.
Rev. Dr. Joseph McBrayer 