Scripture Verse

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55

Introduction

portrait
Samuel L. Howard (1860–1940)

Words: Tra­di­tion­al. Pub­lished in Ca­rols Old and Ca­rols New, ed­it­ed by Charles L. Hut­chins (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Par­ish Choir, 1916), num­ber 24.

Music: Pam­plo­na Samuel L. How­ard, 1904 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know where to get a better photo of How­ard,

Lyrics

On this glo­ri­ous East­er morn­ing,
Robbing death of all its sting,
Shattering Sa­tan’s gloomy em­pire,
Rose our pro­phet, priest and king;
Rose the Son of God tri­um­phant,
Conqueror ov­er death and sin,
Lift your heads, ye hea­ven­ly portals,
Let the King of Glo­ry in!

He who left His Fa­ther’s glo­ry,
He who stooped from Heav’n most high,
Lived as man on earth―and suf­fered,
Died―that man no more should die,
Now re­turns, a migh­ty vic­tor,
Conqueror ov­er death and sin,
Lift your heads, ye hea­ven­ly por­tals,
Let the King of Glo­ry in!

Christians! this glad East­er morn­ing
Tells of light, and life, and love:
Tells us some­what of the yearn­ing
Felt for man in Heav’n above;
Tells how Je­sus rose tri­um­phant
Conqueror ov­er death and sin;
How the ev­er­last­ing por­tals
Oped to let their mon­arch in!

Tells us, too, the joy­ful tid­ings,
That where He is, we shall be;
And that we, too, shall be like Him,
When we Him in glo­ry see.
Like Him, vanq­uish­ers of Sa­tan,
Conquerors over death and sin,
Lift your heads, ye hea­ven­ly por­tals,
Let the ran­somed ser­vants in!

illustration
The Resurrection
Carl H. Bloch (1834–1890)