Musical Notes

Hello OCBC family,
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“8 He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8).

Last Sunday was a wonderful time celebrating our Savior, that one that was dead but now is alive forevermore, and while I was studying a lovely hymn, “Thine Is the Glory”, I learned that this hymn used Isaiah 25:8 as its basis. Paul used this passage in 1 Corinthians 15:54 to say that this passage is fulfilled in the resurrection of the believers, but we will resurrect because our Savior was the first-fruit of those who have fallen asleep.

The author of this hymn is Edmond Louis Budry (1854–1932), a Swiss Protestant pastor and hymn writer. He went to the Lausanne  seminary, and served for over thirty-five years at his church, Free Church in Vevey, until his retirement. He became popular for his translation works, translating hymns from German, English, and Latin. In fact, he wrote this hymn, “Thine Is the Glory”, in French. The version that we sing in English was made by Richard Birch Hoyle, an English Baptist minister.

“Thine is the glory, Risen, conq'ring Son;
Endless is the victo'ry Thou o'er death hath won.
Angels in bright raiment Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave-clothes Where Thy body lay.”

The hymn clearly has a message about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, nevertheless, this hymn became popular for weddings and even funerals, perhaps because the lyrics are simple, powerful, and celebratory. And the majesty of the melody.

The melody is by George Frederick Handel, the famous German-British composer, the same one who wrote the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah. The melody of this hymn comes from another of his oratorios, “Judas Maccabeaus.” In his original work, Handel uses this melody to celebrate the victory of this hero. Now, with the lyrics of Budry, we can celebrate our hero, the one that conquered death, Jesus Christ.

“Lo! Jesus meets us, Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, Scatters fear and gloom,
Let His church with gladness Hymns of triumph sing,
For her Lord now liveth; Death hath lost its sting.”

And one more theme that this hymn points to, the assurance of eternal life of the believers.

“No more we doubt Thee, Glorious Prince of life!
Life is naught without Thee; Aide us in our strife,
Make us more than conq'rors, Thro' Thy deathless love:
Bring us safe thro' Jordon To Thy home above.”

Paul tells us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 9:37).

Last Sunday was Easter Sunday, but as believers we must celebrate Resurrection Day every day, because our Redeemer lives.

“Thine is the glory, risen, conq'ring Son;
Endless is the vict'ry Thou o'er death hath won.”

In His service,
Israel