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Christ the Lord is risen today
 | Christ, the Lord is risen today, Sons of men and angels sayAuthor: Charles Wesley (1739)Tune: EASTER HYMN Opening Hymns Published in 964 hymnals Printable scores: PDF, SibeliusAudio files: MIDI | |
Author: Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley, the son of Samuel Wesley, was born at Epworth, Dec. 18, 1707. He was educated at Westminster School and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated M.A. In 1735, he took Orders and immediately proceeded with his brother John to Georgia, both being employed as missionaries of the S.P.G. He returned to England in 1736. For many years he engaged with his brother in preaching the Gospel. He died March 29, 1788. To Charles Wesley has been justly assigned the appellation of the "Bard of Methodism." His prominence in hymn writing may be judged from the fact that in the "Wesleyan Hymn Book," 623 of the 770 hymns were written by him; and he published more than thirty poetical works, written either by himself alone,… Go to person page >For Leaders
Text
Charles Wesley’s text originally consisted of eleven stanzas, but the last six are omitted in most contemporary hymnals. The “Alleluia” was added much later by editors for two purposes, as explained by the editors of the Psalter Hymnal Handbook, who write: “The ‘alleluias’ which remind us of the ancient Easter greeting, do more than interrupt the textual flow: they provide the framework for praising God with each line of text” (Psalter Hymnal Handbook).
Some hymnals leave out the original verse seven, which begins “Hail, the Lord of Earth and Heav’n!” This verse is included in the Psalter Hymnal, the Presbyterian Hymnal, the Lutheran Hymnal, and the United Methodist Hymnal.
Tune
The tune EASTER HYMN first appeared in the 1708 collection Lyra Davidica. This form of the tune is described by the editors of the Psalter Hymnal Handbook as a “rather florid tune” (PHH). In 1749 it was altered into its spritely and upbeat present version by John Arnold.
The “alleluias” are what make this hymn so special, so they require some extra attention and emphasis. Try having a soloist or small group sing through each line and have the congregation join on the “alleluias” – at least for one verse, since your congregation will most likely want to sing the entire hymn. Otherwise, use a lighter accompaniment or sing in unison on Wesley’s text and pull out all the stops or add harmony on the “alleluias.”
When/Why/How
This hymn, written by Wesley for Easter Day, is a perfect processional or song of celebration on Easter morning. It would be fitting to either open or close a service with this hymn, to come in and leave rejoicing in the victory of Christ. The hymn would also work well as a song of assurance, especially when the fourth verse is emphasized: “Soar we now where Christ has led, following our exalted Head, Made like him, like him we rise, Ours the cross, the grave, the skies. Alleluia!” Albert Bailey writes that in this verse, “we have the assurance, originally voiced by Paul, that all followers of Christ will conquer death as did their Master” (Bailey, The Gospel in Hymns, 101).
Suggested music:
- Haugen, Marty. Jesus Christ Is Risen Today - for SATB Choir
- Hobby, Robert A. Jesus Christ Is Risen Today - For Organ, Brass Quintet, and Timpani
- Bisbee, B. Wayne. Jesus Christ Is Risen Today - For Congregational singing, with Organ, Brass, and Timpani
- McDonald, Mary. Raise Your Joys and Triumphs High (A Hymn Concerto on "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today") - For Choir, Congregation, Piano, Organ, and optional Handbells and Brass
- Hopson, Hal H. Concerto on "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" - For Choir, Congregation, Organ, Brass, and Timpani
Laura de Jong Hymnary.org
In every worship service, the words we say and the actions we participate in are somehow shaping us. Perhaps without even being aware of it, worship is doing something to us – it’s forming habits and language inside of us to both teach us why we are in relationship with God, and how to be in relationship with God. One practice that many liturgists and hymn authors have brought into worship is describing an event that happened in the past (usually a moment from the Gospel story) as if it were happening today, in order to instill in us the understanding that, just as God worked in the lives of people two thousand years ago, He is still working today.
The hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” is a perfect example of this. Right in the title is an indicator of the present tense: the word “is.” As we sing this song, we are first brought back two millennia as “witnesses” of the resurrection, and then we are also made aware that though the actual event of the resurrection happened once, it is in a sense an on-going event with ever-present effects. We are called today to live out of the resurrection, to follow our risen Lord in newness of life, and to ever lift our “alleluias” in praise.
