Today’s hymn comes from Twila Paris, and sung by Hymns of Grace collective. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one!
Your only Son, no sin to hide, But You have sent Him from Your side To walk upon this guilty sod, And to become the Lamb of God.
Refrain O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God; I love the holy Lamb of God. O wash me in His precious blood. My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God
Your gift of love they crucified, They laughed and scorned Him as He died; The humble King they named a fraud, And sacrificed the Lamb of God. [Refrain]
I was so lost I should have died, But You have brought me to Your side To be led by Your staff and rod, And to be called a lamb of God. [Refrain]
Today’s hymn is a hymn by John Newton, often sung at Easter. This hymn tells so clearly of Christ dying for the one who sings it; yes it was our guilty sin that led Christ to the cross, but take heart, for through that death he saved our souls! I hope this can be your song today. Enjoy!
I saw One hanging on a tree, In agony and blood; He fixed His loving eyes on me, As near His cross I stood.
Refrain: O, can it be, upon a tree The Savior died for me? My soul is thrilled, my heart is filled, To think He died for me!
Sure, never to my latest breath, Can I forget that look; It seemed to charge me with His death, Though not a word He spoke. (Refrain)
My conscience felt and owned the guilt, And plunged me in despair: I saw my sins His blood had spilt And helped to nail Him there. (Refrain)
A second look He gave, which said, “I freely all forgive: This blood is for your ransom paid, I die that you may live.” (Refrain)
The hymn ‘The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done’ started life as the 17th century Latin hymn “Finita iamsuntproelia”, which was then composed into English by hymn writer and Anglican priest Francis Pott in 1861. Pott also wrote a number of other hymns, including ‘Angel Voices, Ever Singing’, ‘Christ’s foe becomes his soldier’ and ‘The Shepherd now was smitten’.1 Enjoy!
The strife is o’er, the battle done; the victory of life is won; the song of triumph has begun. Alleluia!
The powers of death have done their worst, but Christ their legions has dispersed. Let shouts of holy joy outburst. Alleluia!
The three sad days are quickly sped; he rises glorious from the dead. All glory to our risen Head. Alleluia!
He closed the yawning gates of hell; the bars from heaven’s high portals fell. Let hymns of praise his triumph tell. Alleluia!
Lord, by the stripes which wounded thee, from death’s dread sting thy servants free, that we may live and sing to thee. Alleluia!
Today’s hymn is written by Charles Wesley. He was inspired to write the hymn after reading a short passage from the Gospel of John: “When Jesus had received the sour wine , he said ‘It is finished’; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30) Of the thousands of hymn texts that Wesley wrote, this became one of his favourites. He revised the text numerous times, an unusual practice for Wesley, and upon his deathbed Wesley completed an eight-stanza version, which was published in several Methodist hymnbooks in Britain during the 19th century1. Enjoy!
‘Tis finished! The Messiah dies, Cut off for sins, but not His own: Accomplished is the sacrifice, The great redeeming work is done! ’Tis finished! All the debt is paid; Justice divine is satisfied; The grand and full atonement made; God for a guilty world hath died.
The veil is rent in Christ alone; The living way to Heaven is seen; The middle wall is broken down, And all mankind may enter in. The types and figures are fulfilled; Exacted is the legal pain; The precious promises are sealed; The spotless Lamb of God is slain.
The reign of sin and death is o’er, And all may live from sin set free; Satan hath lost his mortal power; ’Tis swallowed up in victory! Saved from the legal curse I am, My Savior hangs on yonder tree: See there the meek, expiring Lamb! ’Tis finished! He expires for me.
Accepted in the Well-beloved, And clothed in righteousness divine, I see the bar to heaven removed; And all Thy merits, Lord, are mine! Death, hell, and sin are now subdued; All grace is now to sinners given; And lo, I plead the atoning blood, And in Thy right I claim Thy Heaven!
Thomas Kelly (1769-1855), born in Lellyville, Ireland, was a fine poet and musician. He was known for giving away his substantial wealth to help the poor and to build churches. The son of a judge, he trained to be a lawyer. Convicted of his sin by The Life, the Walk, and the Triumph of Faith, treatises by William Romaine (1714-1795), he became an ordained minister in the Church of Ireland. Because of his powerful preaching and support of the rising evangelical movements, Kelly was banned from preaching in the Church of England and joined the ranks of “dissenting” ministers. Kelly, who was considered a good musician, wrote 765 hymns. This hymn text is based on Hebrews 2:9-10 which speaks of Christ’s glory and the message of grace that is available because of Christ’s suffering. Kelly may have been inspired by a poem composed by John Bunyan in the poetic collection One Thing is Needful, or Serious Meditations upon the Four Last Things, Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell (1664)1. Included below is a choral version and a modern retake – enjoy!
The head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now; a royal diadem adorns the mighty Victor’s brow.
The highest place that heav’n affords is His, is His by right, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and heav’n’s eternal Light.
The joy of all who dwell above, the joy of all below, to whom He manifests His love, and grants His name to know.
To them the cross with all its shame, with all its grace, is giv’n, their name, an everlasting name, their joy, the joy of heav’n.
They suffer with their Lord below, they reign with Him above, their profit and their joy to know the myst’ry of His love.
The cross He bore is life and health, tho’ shame and death to Him: His people’s hope, His people’s wealth, their everlasting theme.
This Good Friday song comes from the father of two famous Wesleys – Rev. Samuel Wesley. On 9 February, 1709, Samuel Wesley was sitting in the Rectory when he wrote this hymn. That night the Rectory caught fire and the whole building, as well as all its contents, were destroyed. In one room slept 5 year old John Wesley with his little siblings and nurse. The nurse called out to the children to follow her as she fled with the young baby, but little John stayed fast asleep. He of course escaped, when a man climbed on the shoulders of his father Samuel and reached him from the window. Samuel Wesley exclaimed “Let us kneel down; let us give thanks to God! He has given me all my eight children; let the house go; I am rich enough!” Later on, someone walking in the Rectory garden near the ruined house, noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground. It was this hymn, blown through the open window from the burning house and saved from the fire!1 Enjoy the words to this one.
Behold the Saviour of mankind Nailed to the shameful tree! How vast the love that Him inclined To bleed and die for thee!
Hark, how He groans, while nature shakes, And earth’s strong pillars bend! The temple’s veil in sunder breaks; The solid marbles rend.
‘Tis done! the precious ransom’s paid! “Receive my soul!” He cries; See where He bows His sacred head! He bows His head and dies!
But soon He’ll break death’s envious chain, And in full glory shine; O Lamb of God, was ever pain, Was ever love, like Thine?
1W.J. Limmer Sheppard,Great Hymns and Their Stories, page 157-159
Robert Lowry (1826-1899), the Philadelphia-born author and composer of this hymn, was a popular Baptist preacher and educator who served churches in Pennsylvania, New York City and Plainfield, NJ. He became known for his gospel songs while ministering in Brooklyn, collaborating often with William H. Doane in producing gospel song collections Among his most famous gospel compositions are “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” and “Shall We Gather at the River”. “Low in the Grave He Lay,” called “Christ Arose” in many hymnals, was composed in 1874 while Lowry was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lewisburg, PA. It first appeared in the collection Brightest and Best (1875) under the title “He is not here, but risen—Luke 24:5.” When it was included in music evangelist Ira D. Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos (1875), the song became very popular in the Moody-Sankey revivals. From that point it appeared in a number of 19th-century British and American hymnals1. My church usually always end up singing this one on Resurrection Sunday!
Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Saviour, Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Refrain Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph o’er His foes, He arose a Victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever, With His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Saviour; Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!
Refrain
Death cannot keep its Prey, Jesus my Saviour; He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!
As a young sailor in the Royal Navy, Samuel Medley led a selfish and sinful life. At the age of 21 he was badly wounded in a sea fight and a doctor told him that his leg would be amputated. He knew he didn’t deserve God’s mercy but he prayed earnestly. Before the operation, his leg healed surprisingly to the doctor. He returned home, where a godly grandfather read him a sermon by Isaac Watts. Medley fell to his knees and repented and was converted. He moved to London where he became a Baptist minister. He also wrote 200 hymns for his church, including this one. This hymn title comes from the book of Job who proclaimed in the midst of his pain “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.”1. I’m sure there were some followers of Jesus who held this same promise close in their hearts on the Saturday before his Resurrection.
I know that my Redeemer lives! What joy this blest assurance gives! He lives, he lives, who once was dead; he lives, my ever-living Head!
He lives triumphant from the grave; He lives eternally to save; He lives exalted, throned above; He lives to rule his church in love.
He lives to bless me with his love; He lives to plead for me above; He lives my hungry soul to feed; He lives to help in time of need.
He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly friend; He lives and loves me to the end; He lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing; He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King!
He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Saviour, still the same; What joy this blest assurance gives: I know that my Redeemer lives!
1page 87 – Leeman, D. and Leeman, B., 2022. Our Hymns, Our Heritage: A Student Guide to Songs of the Church
This hymn was written by Cecil Frances Alexander (d.1895) and it first appeared in Hymns for Little Children (1848) to teach the meaning of the Apostles’ Creed. Here, ‘suffered under Pontius Pilate’, is one of many hymns written in response to the remark of one of the children that he couldn’t understand the Catechism. She wrote over 200 hymns, characterised by their ability to ‘make theology picturesque’1.
There is a green hill far away, Without a city wall, Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to save us all.
We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear; But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.
He died that we might be forgiv’n, He died to make us good, That we might go at last to heav’n, Saved by his precious blood.
There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin; He only could unlock the gate Of heav’n, and let us in.
O dearly, dearly has he loved, And we must love him too, And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his works to do.
I love this stripped back song by Sovereign Grace; although the major themes of this song are the Incarnation making it a fitting Christmas song, the use of Lamb of God, and the description of Christ bearing our sin and reigning over His foes, allows it to fit in well with Easter too 🙂 Enjoy!
O Lamb of God, all worlds obeyed Your will From dark and void their being came O Lamb of God, Your glories echo still Creation sings its Maker’s praise Eternal God, One with the Father Before all time You dwelt in love Eternal God, unlike all others Yet You descended unto us
O Lamb of God, in filthy manger lay In humble dress You entered earth O Lamb of God, Creator bows to save The needy ones, helpless from birth Incarnate Word, gift of the Father To take our place and bear our sin Incarnate Word led to the slaughter You conquered death and rose again
O Lamb of God now reigning on the throne The Judge of all, faithful and true O Lamb of God, You’ll make Your power known When all Your foes receive their due Victorious King, when history’s fading You’ll call Your Bride to take her place Victorious King, Creation’s waiting For Your redeemed to see Your face
Hymn of the Day 