Christ the Lord is Risen, Today UMH # 302

Matthew 28:5-7 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection day, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

lyrics by Charles Wesley

music "Easter Hymn" from Lyra Davidica (London 1708) composer unknown

One of the most popular hymns of the Easter season. The lyrics sing of the glory of God in Christ, who is able to raise Himself from the dead. Death, decay, the watchfulness of men, etc, are all vain with Christ, and for those who are in Christ. This is reminiscent of an often used quote. "Those who are born once, will die twice. Those who are born twice, need only die once."

Alleluia is a variation of the Hebrew, transliterated as halaluYah. Halalu essentially means praise. Yah, is a conventional Jewish contraction of Yahweh, which, of course, refers to the personal name of God. As an aside, when most current Old Testament translations, KJV, NIV, NRSV, and the like, use the word LORD in all capital letters, it indicates that the name Yahweh was used in the original Hebrew text. Apparently, at some points in history there were a significant group of people who felt superstitious about writing or saying God's personal name. Jehovah is an Anglicanization of the Hebrew name Yahweh, which, as best as can be determined means, that "I am that I am." This causes us to think of the mystery of God's eternity, and his own self-existence that is reliant on nothing.

Verse 5 is reiterated in a popular contemporary song called, "Lord I Lift your Name on High." There it is sung, "From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord I lift your name on high." So, not all contemporary worship music is devoid of theological significance or foundation in the classics.