Jesus Christ Is Risen Today! ~ Hymn 232
Devotional Thoughts Based on the Glory to God Hymnal
28 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,[b] and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
Matthew 28:1-9
Growing up in the Baptist Church, this is the Easter hymn we sang most often. There is one glitch … we sang this tune, but the words were a little different. Instead of Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, we sang Christ the Lord Is Risen Today. Essentially the message is the same, and the “Alleluias,” most definitely are the same.
Whether we sing Christ the Lord Is Risen Today or Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, we simply must sing this Easter Hymn with its glorious “Alleluias” for it to be Easter for me. You should know that there is another Christ the Lord Is Risen Today and it is sung to the tune of Llanfair, and the text we associate with that hymn is Praise the Lord! God’s Glories Show, which is a setting for Psalm 150.
Prayer
O God, we thank You for those songs we look forward to singing when the day or season arrive. We also know that there is nothing wrong with singing Joy to the World any day. It also would not be inappropriate to sing Christ the Lord Is Risen Today any Lord’s Day, remembering that Jesus Christ was raised on the first day of the week. With joy and thanksgiving, we sing our praises to You O God. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.