#4—CHRIST JESUS LAY IN DEATH'S STRONG BANDS

This afternoon we will sing this hymn, written by Martin Luther and translated by Richard Massie, The text of the hymn underscores Christ's conquest of death, the breaking of Satan's power, and the victory over the rule of evil. There are allusions to the Passover—the blood of Christ now marks our door!—and a reference to the holy supper.

The tune is an adaptation of a medieval chant and arranged by Johann Walther, a collaborator of Martin Luther. Walther was one of the great early influences in Lutheran church music. This tune has a vigor and lightness appropriate to an Easter hymn. J.S. Bach incorporated it into several of his cantatas.

Sources: Psalter Hymnal Handbook; Internet.

#5—CHRIST IS RISEN

This morning, before the service, we will be singing another Easter hymn, the last of the four in the Hymnary Augment (see the index on p. 4). Christ is Risen was composed by the late Sander Vanderploeg of New Westminster, BC. For many years he was a school teacher at William of Orange Christian School. He composed many songs for the children to sing at Easter and Christmas programs. If you sense a childlike quality to this song (also # 20 and # 21), it's no surprise.

The hymn begins with proclaiming Christ as the risen One who has defeated death (stanza 1). By His resurrection He makes us share in his righteousness and life (stanza 2). In stanza 3 we are called to live for Him and to worship Him. In stanza 4 we sing about how He ascended to heaven and rules over earth and heaven. The final stanza speaks of His glorious return when we will see Him face to face.

For those whose Latin is a bit rusty, "Soli Deo Gloria" means "Glory to God alone." It is one of the five "solas" put forward to summarise the Reformers' basic beliefs during the Protestant Reformation. The five are:

# 1 Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
# 2 Sola fide ("by faith alone")
# 3 Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
# 4 Solus Christus ("in Christ alone")
# 5 Soli Deo gloria ("Glory to God alone")

#6—JESUS SHALL REIGN

This afternoon we will sing this ascension song based on Psalm 72. Isaac Watts, the "father of English hymnody" composed more than 600 hymns. In addition, he recast all 150 Psalms giving them a very clear and obvious Christological interpretation. The Psalms speak prophetically of Christ and Watts's Psalms are composed in light of their fulfillment in Christ. (Our present Hymn 61 is a similar work of Watts, based on Psalm 136.) Here David's prayer for his son Solomon and prophecy of a coming glorious kingdom (Psalm 72) is transformed into a celebration of the redeeming conquest of Christ among the nations. Watts has us sing of the glorious and global success of the gospel.

In stanza 1 we sing about the universal reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. His kingdom is one of uncountable blessings, freedom, joy and rest (stanza 2). All creatures in heaven and on earth praise and honour this great King (stanza 3).

The tune, Duke Street, was composed by John Hatton. The only thing known about John Hatton is that he lived on Duke Street in St. Helen's, England.

Sources: Psalter Hymnal Handbook; Internet.

#7—SINCE OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST JESUS

As you see below the title of the hymn, this song is based on a number of passages from the Letter to the Hebrews. This book has several themes relating to the eternal supremacy and the temporal humiliation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews proclaims Christ as our great High Priest and the Mediator of God's grace. He who once was on the cross now rules supreme at God's right hand. Because He is also one of us, He identifies with our weaknesses. We can confidently approach God's throne of grace and find help for our needs. Christopher Idle, a British Anglican minister, wrote this song in 1971.

The tune is named ALL SAINTS. Historically, this name has been assigned to a number of tunes. Other hymnals name the tune WEISSE FLAGGEN. However, a number of tunes bear this name as well. And so you see it can be a bit confusing, but we will leave those questions for the historians of music to resolve.

This song is appropriate for Ascension Day or when preaching on Lord's Day 18.

Sources: Psalter Hymnal Handbook