Easter 2017

Christ is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Christ As The Redeemer Of Man                      William Blake

As we approach the close of the Festival of the Resurrection of our Lord here are some sights, sounds, and words to help us recall the joy of the day and keep its meaning alive in us in days to come.

Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;

endless is the victory, thou o'er death hast won;

angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,

kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay.

Refrain:

Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,

Endless is the vict'ry, thou o'er death hast won.

Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;

Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;

let the Church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;

for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;

life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife;

make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love:

bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.

Easter Changes Everything!

The Angel Rolling Away The Stone From The Sepulchre            William Blake, 1805

For we have here no continuing city,

but we seek the future.

Behold, I show you a mystery:

We shall not all sleep,

but we all shall be changed

and suddenly, in a moment,

at the sound of the last trombone.

For the trombone shall sound,

and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,

and we shall be changed.

Then shall be fulfilled

The word that is written:

Death is swallowed up in victory.

O Death, where is thy sting?

O Hell, where is thy victory?

Lord, Thou art worthy to receive all

praise, honor, and glory,

for Thou hast created all things,

and through Thy will

they have been and are created

Rise Heart, The Lord Is Risen!

Rise heart; thy Lord is risen.

Sing his praise without delayes,

Who takes thee by the hand,

that thou likewise with him may'st rise;

That, as his death calcined thee to dust,

His life may make thee gold, and much more, just.

Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part with all thy art.

The cross taught all wood to resound his name, who bore the same.

His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key

Is the best to celebrate this most high day.

Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song pleasant and long;

Or since all musick is but three parts vied and multiplied.

O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,

And make up our defects with his sweet art.

The Ascension of Christ                                                    Salvador Dali, 1958

Christ is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Sources

Photo and Illustrations:

Blake image, collections.vam.ac.uk, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Dali image, wikiart.org

Text:

Brahms Requiem text, www. classical-music.com