****CHRIST AROSE

My pastor and I frequently discussed the music we used in our church and we were in total agreement. Things like style, instruments, and even the quality of the musical compositions were all secondary to the words; the message must be scripturally accurate and doctrinally sound because music is a great teaching tool and so much of what we believe about our faith, is often learned through our songs.

Robert Lowry held to that same conviction. He was a popular Baptist preacher and educator in New England during the late 1800s. Kenneth Osbeck, a noted hymnologist, wrote, “Lowry was recognized as a most capable minister of the gospel.  And he became known as a thorough Bible scholar and a brilliant and captivating orator; few preachers of his day had greater ability to paint word pictures and to inspire a congregation.  Music and... hymnology were his favorite studies, but always (and only) as a hobby.”

When asked about hymn writing, Lowry said, “It must be readily apprehended by the Christian consciousness, coming forth from the experience of the writer, and clothed in strong and inspiring words.”

"Music, with me, has been a side issue,” he said.  “. . . I would rather preach a gospel sermon to an appreciative audience than write a hymn.  I have always looked upon myself as a preacher and felt a sort of depreciation when I began to be known more as a composer."

Well, whether he liked it or not, it was his music, not his sermons, that made him famous.  Among his hymns are “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus,” and “Shall We Gather At the River.”   He also composed music scores for other writer’s texts, such as Isaac Watts’ hymn, “We’re Marching to Zion,” “I Need Thee Every Hour,” written by Annie Hawks, and Fanny Crosby’s hymn, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.”

Robert Lowry wrote both the music score and the lyrics, of CHRIST AROSE, in one brief spontaneous setting one day while thinking about this account in Luke 24.  Some women had come to the tomb early Sunday morning and found the stone rolled away, and Jesus’ body missing.  The text says, “…And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  They said to the women, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here but is risen!’” 

Of all Lowry’s hymns, this is my favorite.  The dramatic contrast between the stanzas and the refrain is stunning.  The verse starts with a heavy, depressing feel.  Jesus had been crucified.   His body was sealed in the grave.  His weeping followers were in mourning.  Spiritual and physical darkness had covered the earth.

 

But then, suddenly, the refrain explodes with triumphant gladness.  Morning has come; Light penetrates the darkness.  The tomb is empty, He is not here! Jesus has risen from the dead and He is alive! 

After three days in that sealed tomb, Jesus rose just like He said He would.  And we know that to be true.  He really did rise from the dead.  Acts 1:3 records for us how, “after His suffering and resurrection, He appeared to His followers by many infallible proofs.”

 

And in his letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul records how Jesus was “seen alive by over 500 of his followers.”

They saw Him, they spoke with Him, and they touched Him.  He is the Son of God, He is alive.  And He is our Savior.  HALLELUJAH!  CHRIST AROSE!

****ONE DAY (GLORIOUS DAY)

The hymn, ONE DAY was written by Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman.  While he was a guest preacher at a Bible Conference around 1908, He handed the text to his organist, Charles Marsh, who composed the tune.  Chapman published it in 1910.

This is one of those songs that appear in many hymnbooks but, for some reason, always seems to be there just to take up space.  I don’t know why it is not one of our more prominent hymns.  Maybe it’s because of how it’s placed in the topical index.  It’s not categorized as a Christmas song, although the first stanza tells of Christ’s incarnation.  And neither is it listed as a resurrection hymn, although it sings of His death, burial, and resurrection.  It is just placed somewhere in the category, “The Life of Christ.”

ONE DAY is a hymn that recounts the glorious days in God’s story of redemption; the day of Christ’s birth, the day of His crucifixion, the day of His death and burial, and the day of His resurrection. 

The good news is that Chapman’s lyrics are making a comeback in a popular, new version titled, GLORIOUS DAY.  It was produced with a new music score, by Mark Hall and Michael Bleeker of Casting Crowns.  Except for the addition of a few lines, the original lyrics remain intact.

However, the new rendition has already generated some unfair criticism, mainly about the refrain:

“Living He loved me, dying He saved me, buried He carried my sins far away; Rising He justified freely forever; One day He’s coming, O glorious day.”

 

The critic’s objection is that Jesus’ living doesn’t equate to His loving; His death didn’t save us, our sins were not carried far away by His burial, and His resurrection did not justify us.

But the arguments are foolish.  It is not hard to understand that the author’s intention was to recap the full scope and purpose of Christ’s ministry; His incarnation and perfect sinless life, His crucifixion, His death, burial and resurrection, and His Second coming, as an all-inclusive, once for all, completed work of God’s redemptive grace.

In fact, it reads like a poetic paraphrase of these words in Paul’s, summary statement of the Good News of the Gospel: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

This hymn is rich in sound doctrine and packed full of allusions to Scripture.  One researcher broke it down and identified multiple scriptural referenced for almost every phrase.  He found over 75 supporting texts for this hymn.

Some of the more overt theological themes in this song include the doctrines of angels, sin, the virgin birth, the incarnation, atonement, propitiation, justification, redemption, resurrection, ascension,  and second coming. 

The song ends with a glorious proclamation of our hope.

ONE DAY the trumpet will sound for His coming.

One day the skies with His glories will shine;

Wonderful day, my Beloved One’s bringing;

Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine.

One day He’s coming, O GLORIOUS DAY!

****WERE YOU THERE?

“WERE YOU THERE?” is one of many American spirituals that were sung by plantation slaves in the early 1800s.   The words are based on the New Testament narratives of the trial, persecution, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  

There is no known author, but it is likely that the song just evolved.  It was customary for the slaves to sing together, for comfort and encouragement, while they labored.  And because they had no formally written songs or accompaniment, usually one person would sing out a line.  And then the rest would repeat the line in full harmony.  In that kind of setting, it was not unusual, for several people, to chime in with a new line or thought and so, the song would grow.   These songs were then memorized and passed down through several generations.

This “Negro spiritual” follows that traditional style.

Each verse starts with the same question, “WERE YOU THERE?” I read a recent account about a tourist who was visiting Golgotha and the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. And while he was there, he fell on his knees and began to weep.  Someone saw him and asked, “Sir, have you ever been here before?”

“Yes!” he answered, “I was here 2000 years ago.”

How can that be?  Well, it is clear from scripture (Acts 4:27), the death of Jesus was a corporate act of all sinful humanity against God.  We are all together guilty.

That man’s answer is my answer, “I was there.” 

According to God’s Word, before my life began in 1948, I was in Adam, both positionally and spiritually. 

Just as through one man (Adam), sin came into the world, and death came through sin, so death has come to all men since everyone has sinned.  (Romans 5:12)

So, God's Word says, I am a condemned sinner by nature.  The judgment for Adam's sin is my judgment.

But the Good News of the Gospel is that God sent a Redeemer (Jesus Christ).  Just as I was condemned to eternal death by the sin of my natural father, Adam, now I am made alive by the death of Jesus Christ who took my death penalty on Himself.

"WERE YOU THERE when they crucified my Lord?"   

My answer is “Yes.  I was there.”  My sin nailed Him to the cross.  That’s why that tourist was weeping. 

But the death and burial of Jesus is not the end of the story.  Christ arose; He is alive.  And so, the somber mood of this hymn changes to joy in this last stanza:

“WERE YOU THERE when He rose up from the dead?
Sometimes I feel like shouting, Glory, glory, glory!"  because I was there when Christ suffered and bled and died for my sin and now I am made alive and free.

***HE LIVES

The popular song, HE LIVES, may not be listed among the greatest hymns ever written but it probably qualifies to be among the most loved, especially in American congregations during the mid 20^th century.  And I understand the sentimental popularity; it is a lively and joyful declaration of the resurrection of Jesus and it is fun to sing with its antiphonal response phrases in the chorus.

 

Nevertheless, I have been reluctant to use it because of one glaring weakness that permeates the text.  I am not implying that there is any false doctrine in it; there isn’t. 

So, what is the problem?  I am troubled by the weak subjectivity of the dominant theme that moves us, three times, to the question in the chorus, “You ask me how I know He lives?” and the subsequent response, “He lives within my heart.”

I understand that each of us has unique experiences where we have felt or sensed God’s nearness, protection, and love in our lives.  For those who are redeemed, we see His hand everywhere and in everything just as the writer has said, “In all the world around me, I see His loving care.”  

Our subjective testimonies may be true, but they’re not compelling proofs. They are secondary to objective truth.   Our confidence (and especially our testimonies to unbelievers) must rest on solid evidence and we have plenty of it.  

So when the song asks the question, “You ask me how I know He lives?”  I think the author could have written an objective response something like, “I’M GLAD YOU ASKED.  THERE IS EVIDENCE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.”  But, unfortunately, that doesn’t fit in the musical meter.

So what evidence is there for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead?  

We have the eye-witness testimonies of the apostles and others who met the risen Christ; those who physically “walked and talked with Him” in the flesh. 

We have the account of a doctor, Luke, who recorded the words the angel spoke to the women who were looking for Christ’s body at the tomb; “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”  And later, he recorded that Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs.”

We have the testimony of Peter who declared, “This Jesus, God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.”

Even though he often gets a bad rap, I am really glad that Jesus used Thomas to validate His resurrection.  Thomas heard the testimonies of others but he demanded more than just hearsay; he wanted real, tangible evidence; “Unless I see, in His hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.  Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”  Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.  Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”  And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus was seen by over five hundred people, during the forty days between His resurrection and His ascension, many of whom were still alive at the time these accounts were recorded in scripture.

We have the accounts from Paul who, as a skeptical unbeliever and a violent persecutor of Christians, met the risen, glorified Christ on the road to Damascus.

And we have the inspired Word of the living God.  In the words of R. C. Sproul, “We have to determine our theology from the Word of God, not from what we feel.”

This song is most often used in Resurrection Day celebrations because of its exuberant assurance of great things to come. Jesus said, “I Am the Living One; I was dead and behold I Am alive for ever and ever!”   

We really do serve a risen Savior so we can joyfully and confidently sing,

Rejoice! Rejoice, O Christian, 

Lift up your voice and sing,

Eternal hallelujahs 

To Jesus Christ, the King!

The Hope of all who seek Him, 

The Help of all who find,

None other is so loving, 

So good and kind.

HE LIVES!