Easter

A New Easter Hymn

/ taethne

Here’s an Easter hymn in the tradition of Henry Van Dykes’ Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee and set to the tune of Beethovan’s Ode to Joy (9th Symphony)

Easter Hymn: “Joyful, Joyful, We Proclaim Thee“

Verse 1:
Joyful, joyful, we proclaim Thee,
Risen Lord, our King above;
From the grave Thou hast ascended,
Filling hearts with hope and love.

Verse 2:
Death and sin are now defeated,
By Thy cross and empty tomb;
Light and life are now completed,
In Thy resurrection’s bloom.

Verse 3:
Angels sing and saints are praising,
Heaven and earth resound with joy;
For our Savior, death displacing,
Lives forever, our great King.

Verse 4:
Thou art risen, Thou art reigning,
Lord of all, both great and small;
In Thy name, we are sustaining,
Hope of heaven, for one and all.

An Easter Poem

/ taethne

In the dawn of Easter morn, we rise

With hearts reformed, we lift our eyes

The tomb is empty, the stone rolled away,

Christ our Savior, has conquered the day.

No works of ours could earn this grace

No law could meet God’s holy face

By faith alone, through Christ we’re freed

His blood, our ransom, meets every need

The cross once heavy with sin’s dark weight

Now stands as hope, our eternal gate

He bore the wrath, the curse undone

In Him, God’s justice and mercy won

Reborn in truth, we sing His name

Sovereign Lord, forever the same

From death to life, His Spirit calls

Redeemed, we worship, as grace enthralls

This Easter, let our souls proclaim

The Risen King, whose Word shall reign

In Christ alone, our hope is sure

Forever His, forever secure

40 Days 0f Praise — Day 40 Easter

/ taethne

CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY by Charles Wesley

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia; Earth and heaven in chorus 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’s won, Alleluia

Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia; Christ has 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’s thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia

Soar we now where Christ has 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 Thou, 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

            What greater day is there for a Christian to celebrate than Resurrection Sunday?  Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we would have no spiritual birthday to celebrate. We would have no Christian faith. We would be of all people the most miserable.

            Our enemy, Satan, could not foresee the return of Christ from death’s domain anymore than he could grasp the reality of mankind’s redeemable soul. He, as an angelic creature, does not have one and neither he nor they fully understand how it works.

            Because of the finished work of Christ, our soul can be born again, born from above, made new. We become righteous, justified, free from sin’s curse. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus our Lord.

            If a Christian cannot be excited on Easter, if they cannot sing and praise and shout in celebration for Christ’s return from the grave, then I would posit that they are not a Christian at all. Oh, the glorious truth of the gospel writers, showing us the account of that first Easter morning. Sad, dejected, confused disciples go to the tomb. Emboldened, resolute, joyful disciples go forth into the world on Monday, having seen the Risen Christ. May we always celebrate our Lord of Life.

            May we know and prove His resurrection power in our lives.

Lord God, thank You for sending Your Son to purchase our salvation. We rejoice this day, honoring His resurrection from the dead and celebrating His reign at Your powerful right hand.

40 Days of Praise — Day 18

/ taethne

WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS by Isaac Watts

When I survey the wondrous cross; On which the Prince of Glory died

My richest gain I count but loss; And pour contempt on all my pride

Forbid it Lord, that I should boast; Save in the death of Christ my God

All the vain things that charm me most; I sacrifice them to His blood

See, from His head, His hands, His feet; Sorrow and love flow mingled down

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet; Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine; That were an offering far too small

Love so amazing, so divine; Demands my soul, my life, my all

Of all of Isaac Watts’ hymns, this one is probably my favorite. Great words of truth mixed with a fantastic melody, this hymn is well worth singing regularly.

               I particularly love the second stanza. There is nothing any of us have to boast about except our Lord. Are we brilliant? God gave us our intellect. Are we strong? God fashioned our body. Are we successful? God has blessed us.

               All we are we owe to our Creator, especially our salvation. In God’s plan, in God’s time, in God’s power, He redeemed us to Himself through His Son. Salvation, as Jonah stated, is from the Lord.

               Everything this world has to charm us with is nothing compared to what awaits us in glory. Why should I take my eyes off eternal perfection for temporal things? Truly, no offering I can give is enough. If I had, as the fourth verse states, everything in the world, it still would not be too great an offering to give. But what I do have, my life, I give freely to the One who is worthy of worship, the Lord Jesus Christ.

            Lord, reading again of Your Son’s death on the cross to pay the price for my sins, brings me both great sorrow and gratitude. Sorrow that I, like all other humans, failed to live up to Your holy standards; gratitude that You took it upon Yourself to pay my penalty. I can never repay You. I can only say, “Thank You.” Take my life. You created me, You bought me, take what is rightfully Yours.

Easter Giveaway — Audio Book

/ taethne

For a limited time, Ta Ethne is giving away a free audio copy of The 180 Project: The Power of Biblical Repentance.  Fill out the contact form (substituting your information, of course) and request a free audio book, then find and follow us on twitter. There are only 25 copies available during this free promotion so get yours now. Once they are gone, they are gone.

Go back

Your message has been sent

Free Resources This Weekend

/ taethne

Our Kindle edition books will be free to download from Amazon this weekend. From Good Friday through Easter, you can get Is Jesus Enough?, The 180 Project, A Heart Hungry to Worship, The Quest and Dominos from the Kindle store. Enjoy and pass the word along.