Greetings and Gladness in Between

“Lo!  Jesus meets thee, risen from the tomb;

Lovingly he greets thee, scatters fear and gloom.

Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,

For our Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.”

— verse 2 of Thine Be the Glory

There really is so much to celebrate.  This is a fun series to write and share with you.  We’re working our way through the Easter section of  The United Methodist Hymnal.

Today’s Easter song  is this 1923 translation of a 1904 hymn.  The World Student Christian Federation literally owns it. Like a few others, I’m not sure I’ve ever sung this.

I love the way this second verse opens and closes with the Resurrection.  Sandwiched in between are greetings and gladness.

We live in between.  It’s here that the risen Christ greets us lovingly today, scattering our fear and gloom.

We really can with gladness hymns of triumph sing.  

As St. Francis said in another context, “And if you must, even use words.”