Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

This is Wesley’s original wording. The musical setting most frequently found in hymnals adds “Alleluia” after each line of each verse.

Verse 1
“Christ the Lord is ris’n to day,”
Sons of men and angels say, (Matt. 28:5-6, Mark 16:5-6, Luke 24:4-6)
Raise your joys and triumphs high,
Sing ye heav’ns, and earth reply.

Verse 2
Love’s redeeming work is done, (John 19:30)
Fought the fight, the battle won, (Col. 2:15)
Lo! Our sun’s eclipse is o’er, (Matt. 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:34)
Lo! He sets in blood no more.

Verse 3
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal; (Matt. 27:65-66)
Christ has burst the gates of hell! (Rev. 1:18)
Death in vain forbids his rise: (Acts 2:24)
Christ has open’d paradise! (Luke 23:43)

Verse 4
Lives again our glorious King, (Heb. 2:9)
Where, O death, is now thy sting? (I Cor. 15:55-56)
Dying once he all doth save,[1] (Heb. 7:27, Heb. 9:12, Heb. 9:28, Heb. 10:10)
Where thy victory, O grave? (I Cor. 15:55-56)

Verse 5
Soar we now, where Christ has led? (Eph. 2:6)
Following our exalted head, (I Cor. 11:3, Eph. 4:15, Eph. 5:23, Col. 1:18, Col. 2:19)
Made like him, like him we rise, (Phil. 3:21, Col. 3:1, Rom. 6:4-5)
Ours the cross—the grave—the skies!

Verse 6
What tho’ once we perish’d all,
Partners in our parent’s fall? (Gen. 3, Rom. 5:12-14)
Second life we all receive, (John 3:3, John 3:7, I Pet. 1:23)
In our heav’nly Adam live. (I Cor. 15:22, I Cor. 15:45)

Verse 7
Ris’n with him, we upward move, (Phil. 3:21, Col. 3:1, Rom. 6:4-5)
Still we seek the things above, (Col. 3:2)
Still pursue, and kiss the Son (Psalm 2:12)
Seated on his Father’s throne; (Eph. 1:20, Heb. 1:3)

Verse 8
Scarce on earth a thought bestow, (Col. 3:2)
Dead to all we leave below, (Col. 3:3)
Heav’n our aim, and lov’d abode, (Phil. 3:20, Heb. 11:13-16)
Hid our life with Christ in God! (Col. 3:3)

Verse 9
Hid; till Christ our life appear, (Col. 3:4, I John 3:2)
Glorious in his members here: (Eph. 5:27, Phil. 3:21)
Join’d to him, we then shall shine (Dan. 12:3)
All immortal, all divine!

Verse 10
Hail the Lord of earth and heav’n! (Matt. 11:25, Luke 10:21, Acts 17:24)
Praise to thee by both be giv’n: (Isa. 45:23, Rom. 14:11, Phil. 2:10-11)
Thee we greet triumphant now; (Col. 2:15)
Hail the resurrection thou! (John 11:25)

Verse 11
King of Glory, soul of bliss, (Ps. 24:7-10)
Everlasting life is this, (John 3:16, John 3:36, John 6:40, John 6:47)
Thee to know, thy pow’r to prove, (John 17:3)
Thus to sing, and thus to love!

[1] Wesley changed this line to “Once he died our souls to save” in 1743.