Scripture References:
st. 1 = Zech. 8:18-23

Brian A. Wren (PHH 311) wrote the text in Hockley, Essex, England, during April of 1968. Wren writes:

It was written for Easter Sunday, two weeks after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I could not let Easter go by without speaking of this tragic event which was on all our minds. . . . The hymn tries to see God's love winning over tragedy and suffering in the world. . . . There is tension and tragedy in these words, not just Easter rejoicing.

First published in the British supplement New Church Praise (1975), the text was revised by Wren in 1978.

"Christ Is Alive" is a joyful celebration of Christ's resurrection (st. 1) and of his personal rule in a human world in which pain, war, and injustice abound (st. 2-4). Christ’s transcendent and immanent reign is empowered by the Holy Spirit and will ultimately bring about a new creation (st. 5).

Liturgical Use:
Easter; Ascension; other worship services that focus on contemporary human conditions.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook