Through The Hymnbook

Guest (Male): Welcome, welcome to the organ loft, and what a joy to greet you in the name of our risen Lord. You are going to love the music that you will be hearing in this edition of Through The Hymnbook because it is going to be the great hymns of the church about our risen Lord.

And so come right in. The Reverend Bert Jones, as he goes through the hymnbook, he's going to be looking for songs having to do with the Easter season and the message of our risen Christ. To begin, he will be playing "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today." It was written in 1739, and the tune was written back in 1708. You know the song, and you can sing right along as Bert plays.

Reverend Bert Jones: "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today." At this season of the year, I want to play for you on Through The Hymnbook many songs of Easter as we go through the hymnbook looking for the songs of Easter. Here is a beautiful song that begins, as it were, with a trumpet call. "Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain of Triumphant Gladness. God Hath Brought His Israel Into Joy From Sadness."

This hymn's words were written by John of Damascus in the 8th century, and the tune was written by Sir Arthur Sullivan. "Hallelujah Now We Cry to Our King Immortal, Who Triumphant Burst the Bars of the Tomb's Dark Portal. Hallelujah With the Son, God the Father Praising. Hallelujah Yet Again, to the Spirit Raising." It often is used as an opening hymn or processional on the glad Easter day.

On Through The Hymnbook, I'm going to see how many songs of Easter I can play for you in one short half hour. "The Day of Resurrection, Earth Tell It Out Abroad. The Passover of Gladness, the Passover of God. From Death to Life Eternal, From Earth Unto the Sky, Our Christ Hath Brought Us Over With Hymns of Victory."

Now let the heavens be joyful, let earth the song begin. Let the round world keep triumphant and all that is therein. Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend, for Christ the Lord has risen, and our joy that hath no end. "The Day of Resurrection."

Here's one you may not know, and yet it's an old, old song of Easter. "Good Christian Men, Rejoice and Sing. Now Is the Triumph of Our King. To All the World Glad News We Bring. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah." This comes from back in the 16th century. "Good Christian Men, Rejoice and Sing."

The Lord of life is risen for aye. Bring flowers of song to strew the way. Let all mankind rejoice and say, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Easter people, let us sing. Are you one of the Easter people? I hope so.

"The Strife Is O'er, the Battle Won." The victory is won through Jesus Christ our Lord. It's a beautiful hymn. It is now thought to come from the Latin back in around 1695, and the music is by Palestrina. This music was written in 1591. "Hallelujah, Hallelujah. The strife is o'er and the battle is done. The victory of life is won. The song of triumph hath begun. Hallelujah."

I love this stanza that says, "The powers of death have done their work, but Christ their legions hath dispersed. Let shouts of holy joy outburst. Hallelujah. The three sad days are quickly sped, and He rises glorious from the dead. All glory to our risen Head. Hallelujah."

I first became conscious of this beautiful hymn of Easter when we tuned in the radio to hear the funeral of King George V of England. That would be the grandfather of the present Queen Elizabeth. I had never heard the song before, and I shall never forget it there in the beauties of Westminster Abbey as it came over the radio with all the reverberation of that great cathedral. And the boys' voices as they sang very high.

"I Know That My Redeemer Lives." What joy the blessed assurance gives. He lives, He lives, who once was dead. He lives my everlasting Head. He lives to bless me with His love. He lives to plead for me above.

He lives my hungry soul to feed. He lives to help in time of need. He lives all glory to His name. He lives my Savior still the same. What joy the blessed assurance gives. I know that my redeemer lives.

I've been doing a lot of old, old Easter songs, and I hope you've been enjoying them. Here is a much, much newer song from the year 1971 as written by the Gaithers. "Because He Lives," I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all of life is changed.

And here's a beautiful little chorus song that says, "He is Lord, He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and He is Lord." Based in Philippians 2:9-11, no one is exactly sure who wrote the song, but what a blessing it is as people sing it. "Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

And another rather short type chorus song that comes from 1984. "I Live, I Live Because He Is Risen. I Live, I Live With Power Over Sin. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Because You're Alive, I Live."

I've been going through the hymnbook at this Easter season, finding old songs and new songs, songs that are familiar and songs that are not familiar, but all about the living Christ. And here's one about the living Christ. Mr. Ackley, A. H. Ackley, wrote this song back in the year 1933. "I Serve a Risen Savior." He is in the world today. And I know that He's living because He lives within my heart.

Until more recent years, this has been primarily found in gospel songbooks, but many of the new hymnals are including it. For instance, it's in the new hymnal of the United Methodist Church, which was just published in the year 1989. It was written by a Presbyterian preacher.

I'd like everybody listening to Through The Hymnbook right now, out there in my big radio audience, to join in singing that last stanza. It says, "Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian. He lives." Let's sing it together.