Christ the Lord is Risen Today
When Christians gather together on Easter Sunday, they greet each other with an ancient phrase: “The Lord is risen”. Typically this is followed by a response: “He is risen, indeed.” Together, both will say “Alleluia”, which means “Praise to the Lord”. This greeting brings an affirmation of a truth known and celebrated but not often spoken aloud: Jesus Christ was, is, and forever will be our risen Lord, Savior, and King.
Charles Wesley, perhaps the most recognized hymn writer of all time, captured this idea in what is likely the only hymn guaranteed to be sung on Easter, “Christ the Lord Is Risen today.” The hymn wasn’t original to Wesley, though it has been attributed to him due to the many adjustments he made to it in 1739 in order to be performed at the very first service at the first Methodist Chapel in London. The earliest form of the hymn was a Latin text from the 14th century that was translated into English to become a part of a collection called the Lyra Davidica, or literally, “The Harp of David.” Wesley’s modifications condensed the theme of the song into the focus of the Christian’s identity with Christ in his glorious resurrection.
Initially entitled, “Hymn for Easter Day”, the song was much longer at eleven stanzas of four lines each, but through various edits it eventually was shortened to six stanzas of four lines, each ending with “Alleluia”. These “Alleluia’s” come at a particularly special time in the Church calendar, as many denominations refrain from saying the word at all during Lent. But the anthemic grandeur of singing “Alleluia” as a celebration of the eternally risen Christ on Easter morn is a welcome refrain.
Note the wording of the announcement: “Christ the Lord Is Risen today.” This is significant, because if one were making a declaration about a thing that happened in the past, the typical phrasing would state that “Christ the Lord Has Risen.” And indeed, He has. Yet, Wesley was making a statement of a present awareness of the risen Lord whenever the hymn would be sung. Christ has risen, but even more true than that fact, He is Risen, even now. Wesley emphasizes this point even further when he adds that Christ “Is Risen Today”. His risen state is one of ongoing celebration.
Wesley composed a hymn from ancient words that had been passed down through the Church for three centuries. The hymn references an event that occurred seventeen centuries beforehand. And now, three centuries after Wesley, and 2000 years after Christ, this hymn is sung by believers everywhere in spectacular and joyous fashion each Easter. Modern Christians can rejoice in the new hope of our risen Lord that each Sunday brings, all the while remembering that the ancient words we sing declare our future in glory, when we who are made “like Him, like Him we rise.”
Micah Lovell is the editor and frequent contributor of Worthy of the Gospel.
