Christ the Lord is Risen Today – 4/21

1. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

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

3. 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!

4. 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!

5. 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, thou! Alleluia! 

A few days ago while driving quite a distance for some nature time, my kids and I were engaged in an awesome conversation (since we don’t use any screens in the car, this is where we have the absolute BEST talks). Somehow we started talking about Mormonism and then Islam and then my 10 year old said something that is still echoing in my ears, days later. She said, “Sometimes I wonder, with all the different religions in the world, how do we know Christianity is the right one?” I was running on a terrible night of sleep because of a very unhappy baby, could barely think straight about everything we were already discussing, and I felt rather unprepared for this important apologetics session… I assured her that this question is such a good one and that it shows that her faith is becoming her own. As my head was so busy exploding both from sleep deprivation and at the thought that my little girl was pondering such big thoughts, I didn’t do a spectacular job talking her through the reasons why we believe Christianity is the only way. I was afforded much more clarity later however as I was talking it over with Derek. Here we were on the cusp of Easter and the simplest of answers was staring me in the face…

The resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is EVERYTHING. We can trust with all our being that Jesus is who He said He was and that our faith is well founded because He did what no one else in all the universe has done! He rose from the dead. The wonder and implications of the resurrection are so staggering, so colossal that really, they ought to be celebrated EVERY Sunday! Not just on Easter! So it is with joy and hope that we take the entirety of this month to sing, memorize and celebrate that the gates of Hell burst, that death was put to death, and that Christ lives and reigns! Hallelujah!

THE HYMN WRITER…

Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was the 18th of 19 children born to Susanna and Samuel Wesley (sadly, only 10 of their children lived to maturity). They resided in England where Charles’ father was a minister. It’s been said that Charles was born prematurely and didn’t cry or open his eyes when he was born. His mother, Susanna, wrapped him up in soft wool for weeks and around the time that he naturally would have entered the world, he finally began to cry. When Charles was five, he joined his siblings in being homeschooled for six hours a day by his mother, who was well versed in Greek, Latin, and French. Each child, from the time they learned to speak, was taught the Lord’s Prayer which they recited every morning and evening. The Wesley children sang psalms together and excelled in writing poetry. Charles and his sister Mehetable were considered the best poets of the family. The Wesley family struggled financially and endured their home burning down not just once, but twice. Through much hardship, including the deaths of many of her children, Susanna held her family together (sometimes without the presence and support of her husband) and even made it a priority to spend individual time with each of her children. 

Charles continued his education for nine years at Westminster School, where they were only allowed to speak Latin, and then went to Oxford for nine years. Charles graduated Oxford with a master’s degree in classical languages and literature. Around this time, Charles became a recognized spiritual leader as he and his brother John created and lead a group known as the “holy club.” The members of this little club were soon to receive the nickname ‘Methodists,’ reflecting how orderly and “methodically” (and legalistically) they went about their spiritual duties. John and Charles were unknowingly starting up an entirely new church denomination: the Methodist Church (one of the largest Christian denominations today!).

By all outward appearances, Charles was a true Christian, pursuing the Lord in piety and holiness. In truth, Charles was seeking salvation and to be right with God through his own good works.  In 1735, Charles and John became missionaries to the American colony of Georgia. Charles had a difficult time there as he dealt with sickness, slander and was shunned by many. Once he was even shot at by a woman when he tried to baptize her infant by immersing the baby under water. Ironically and by the providence of God, it was through this miserable overseas mission experience that Charles Wesley realized he had not yet trusted Jesus fully for salvation. Charles came to true saving faith in Christ at the age of 31 during a study of Galatians—the letter where Paul passionately argues that Christians are both saved and sanctified through faith alone, and not through their works.

After his conversion, Charles lived in constant praise of his Redeemer, and wrote over 6,500 hymns! Some are the most beloved in all hymnody, including, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.” That’s quite a lot of hymns! His mind was so saturated with the truths of Scripture and the beauty of the glorious Gospel that the words of these hymns constantly flowed through his mind and out of his pen. Can you imagine Charles scribbling hymns down while bumping down the road in a horse-drawn coach or in the late hours of the night at the table lit by candles? It is even said he would stop on his way around England and knock on doors to ask to borrow a pen and ink to write down a line or two that had popped into his mind. Aside from open-air preaching of the Gospel, his life was almost singularly dedicated to hymnody. The night before he died, Charles was still dictating lines of a new hymn. His final words before he died in London, on March 29, 1788 were, “Oh, praise! Oh, praise!” 

HOW WE DO HYMN OF THE MONTH

If you are new to this community, welcome! It is a great time to join in and make family worship a priority if you haven’t already. You may or may not be familiar with this hymn. Either way, we invite you to spend this month meditating on its truths. 

To get you started, we’ve provided free printable lyrics, music and copywork — all found here! 

Also, you can find fresh versions of the hymn on our YouTube channel that you and your family can sing along with. There are loads of fresh versions at the top of our hymn of the month playlist. If you are interested in fleshing out this month’s hymn with activities, coloring sheets, devotional thoughts, journaling prompts, etc. our Spring Hymn Guide, is available for a small fee on Etsy. Thank you so much for your support of Happy Hymnody’s ministry!

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When we began singing hymns with our littles about 10 years ago, we kept it simple… We prayed and sang one hymn together every night at bedtime for a whole month. Everyone’s family rhythm is different, so we welcome you to gather up your families, for just a few minutes each day, to sing, discuss and memorize this hymn (following your daily time in the Scriptures and in prayer) whether it is first thing in the morning, or around the dinner table or before bedtime – whatever works best for your family. You can let us know how it’s going by posting either a video or a photo on Instagram. Just tag it with #happyhymnody! As always, if you have any questions or if you’d like to share your heart with us, please don’t hesitate to reach out! God bless you all this month as you worship and follow Jesus together as a family!

With so much love,

April

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