Praise and Worship Music to Bless God. . .
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Christ the Lord is Risen TodayHe Lives!
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Check out this powerful Southern Cross song! 
Music to touch your
spirit. . .
"I might
not be a religious man myself but I know good music when I hear it, and this is very
good! . . . I don’t think that I have ever given such high
ratings to so many songs before. But
the fact is that they are well deserved because the
music is amazing. Simply wonderful religious ballads and they
really get to your heart. . .everytime."
Fredrik Cole: Trax In Space
Christ the Lord is Risen
Today
Christ the Lord is risen today,
Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died, our souls to save, Alleluia!
Wheres thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!
Loves redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!
Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
Arrangement Copyright © 2000 Don Wigton
Delicate guitars sing salvation’s
song. . .Christ is risen!. . .A lofty piano thunders the glorious story. . .Christ is
risen! . . .A gentle flute echoes heaven’s joy. . .Christ is risen! . . .Jubilation
fills the bow of the cello. . .Christ is Risen! . . .Caressing strings overflow with
celebration. . .Christ is risen. . .risen today!
Song Story
Charles Wesley wrote over 6,000 hymns.
Like most hymnists, his works were frequently altered, and he did not like it!. In the
preface to one of his hymnals, Wesley wrote:
I beg leave to mention a thought which has been long
upon my mind, and which I should long ago have inserted in the public papers, had
I not been unwilling to stir up a nest of hornets. Many gentlemen have done my
brother and me (though without naming us) the honour to reprint many of our hymns.
Now they are perfectly welcome to do so, provided they print them just as they
are. But I desire they would not attempt to mend them, for they are really not able.
None of them is able to mend either the sense or the verse. Therefore, I must beg of
them these two favours: either to let them stand just as they are, to take things for
better or worse, or to add the true reading in the margin, or at the bottom of the
page, that we may no longer be accountable either for the nonsense or for the
doggerel of other men.
Charles Wesley wrote most of the
words to this classic Easter praise hymn. The
composer of the music is unknown. Wesley’s words were written for use at
the first worship service at the Wesleyan Chapel in London. The chapel, on the site of a former iron
foundry, became known as the Foundry Meeting House, and this hymn was included
in the Foundry Collection.
Though this song is not sung very
often at Easter in the evangelical circles that I have been in, it is one of my favorites!
So, I could not wait until Easter 2000 for the opportunity to release this joyous song by
the great hymn writer and preacher, Charles Wesley, that so magnificently proclaims the
message of Christs resurrected glory.
Since Eden death has been boasting of its power over mankind. However, with the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, death has finally met its match. Christ has won the final
victory and it is upon this fact that salvation rests.
As the Apostle Paul declared: And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are
still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in
this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ
is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. .
.For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. (I Cor 15:17-20, 22)
It was my intent to produce a glorious instrumental rendition of Christ the Lord is Risen
Today in order to accent the joy that all who believe in Christ have as a result of this
wondrous truth proclaimed by Paul. Yet the beginning of the song is a little deceptive.
Quietly the acoustic guitars enter in with a delicate piano to underscore a tender flute
and cello duet. Soon, though, drums and bass dramatically usher in thunderous praise as
swooping strings declare the marvels of Christs wondrous resurrection from the grave.
Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia!
As you listen to this exciting piece, bask in the knowledge that you have benefited from
the Cross. You can look past the grave to your heavenly reunion with Him. Alleluia!
He Lives!
I serve a risen Savior, Hes in the
world today;
I know that He is living, whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him, Hes always near.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
A-long lifes narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And tho my heart grows weary, I never will despair;
I know that He is leading thro all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing will come at last.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
A-long lifes narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
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 living, so good and kind.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
A-long lifes narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
Arrangement Copyright © 2000 Don Wigton
Daily He walks with me. . .a vigorous
and percussive honkey-tonk piano hammers a resounding song with persuasiveness and
vibrancy. . .proclaiming the Glory of our risen Lord. . .we will live forever in Christ. .
.because he lives. . .and lives within us.
Song Story
This
favorite Easter praise hymn was written by Alfred H. Acley.
Ackley received musical training from both
his father, and in New York City and London. Eventually,
he became a great cello player. He eventually was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in
1914, and pastored in Wilkes-Barre and Elmhurst, Pennsylvania, and in Escondido,
California. During his lifetime Acley wrote some 1,500 religious and secular songs. He was associated with the Rodeheaver music
company.
To be honest, though I wanted to put
out this mp3 for the 2000 Easter season, I was scratching my head trying to figure out an
arrangement. Everything that I could come up with in my head, I felt, would just sound too
hokey. For years a line in the chorus has reminded me of Puff the Magic Dragon and I could
not get Peter, Paul and Mary out of my head.
I should know by now that the best thing to do when I have writers block is talk to
Vanessa. Finally, after repeated failures on my own, I asked her: What do you think I
should do?
Without hesitation she replied, Do a piano arrangement of it. You have to know that she
loves my piano playing. So that would probably be her first choice every time.
Well, she was right! I went ahead and just banged the song out on my piano. After I was
finished I played it for Vanessa to see what she thought; and the arrangement was given
the OK.
So here it is, delivering up joyous praise in celebration of the resurrection of Christ.
He Lives!. . .and we pray that this rendition of this favorite Easter hymn will encourage
you to praise God with resounding joy as you reflect on this wonderful fact.
is a subsidiary of
Wigtune Company, formed as a service to the body of Christ. Our vision is to
encourage scriptural worship in the Church by offering free praise music and hymns
performed in a contemporary manner along with a free on-line worship study book for
personal devotions, Bible study groups, Sunday schools, pastors, music ministers and
ministry training. The worship study book lends theological and historical
support to the use of traditional Christian hymn-singing in conjunction with praise chorus
singing. Click on one of the links below to enter into the Wigtune resource that interests
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Copyright © 1999 Don Wigton. All rights reserved.
Patriotic Hymns 1
| Patriotic Hymns 2
Christmas Hymns
1 | Christmas Hymns 2 | Christmas
Hymns 3 | Christmas Hymns 4
Hymns 1 | Hymns 2 | Hymns 3 | Hymns
4 | Hymns 5 | Hymns 6 | Hymns 7 | Hymns 8 | Hymns
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