He is Risen—He is Risen Indeed!

Sometime last year, I was listening to the radio and was intrigued by a new song just released from the Christian band Casting Crowns. Although I had never heard the song before, somehow I knew all the words. Hmm…that’s odd… Then it dawned on me that the words were the same as those from a song I remembered from my childhood—a song that I never particularly cared for.

There are a lot of old hymns that I fondly cherish, but this was not one of them. When I was little, we used to sing the song in church, around Easter time. I remembered it as One Day, and never liked singing it because the tune was not the catchiest, the tempo was slow, and it always seemed to me, to droll along for about 87 verses!

The Casting Crowns arrangement brought the old hymn back to life in an astounding way. It gave me the opportunity to really listen to the lyrics. Perhaps with the passage of time, I am now more fully able to appreciate the words that L. Wilber Chapman set to music in 1909. Written from a first-person perspective, the song beautifully describes how Christ died to give us life!

One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin—
Dwelt among men, my example is He!

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain,
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected;
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He.

One day they left Him alone in the garden,
One day He rested, from suffering free;
Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil;
Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He.

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore.

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glory will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!

Re-titled Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me), this song is now one of my favorites and makes me cry every time I hear it! Here is the live performance of Casting Crowns performing Glorious Day.

(If the embed video is not displayed, here is the YouTube link: http://youtu.be/KqrqPGt11bA)

On this Easter Sunday, I am grateful that God loved me enough to send his son. I am grateful that Jesus willingly chose to give his life in order to buy back mine. But most of all, I am grateful for the empty tomb. Today, I share in the excitement those Christians knew on that very first Easter Sunday. He is not dead—my Savior lives! And one day soon, he will return to claim his own. Oh, what a glorious day that will be!

Yes, death could not hold him, and the grave could not keep him! He is risen—he is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

On the journey toward Home,

Tagged as: Casting Crowns, Christ, Easter, Glorious Day, He is risen, hymn, Jesus