This page is provided so that you can hear the tunes of items which we use in church. Mostly they are written by the vicar. Please note that they are copyright - we are very happy to give permission to you to use them, but we would like to hear about it. Please include any use on your Christian Copyright Licence returns.
Down this page:
- the words,
- the story,
- the sheet music,
- media player.
Christ is risen
Christ is risen
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Death cannot hold him down.
We are risen in him by his power:
he reigns with God for ever,
in glory he's crowned.
This is the gospel which we have received,
by which we are saved once we've truly believed,
so let's hold it closely and not be deceived!
For...
Christ is risen! Alleluia! ...
Killed for our sins as the scriptures foretold,
entombed in the earth in the dark and the cold,
he's risen to life and he wants the world told
that...
Christ is risen! Alleluia! ...
Peter then saw him, the Twelve saw him too,
five hundred together can vouch that it's true,
and James and the_Apostles all saw him and knew
that...
Christ is risen! Alleluia! ...
Paul saw him too on the road in a light
that flashed from the skies and was blindingly bright.
He called Paul to service, and gave him insight.
For...
Christ is risen! Alleluia! ...
We don't deserve to catch sight of his face,
for we are all sinners, condemned in disgrace,
but he rescued us, caught us in his embrace.
For...
Christ is risen! Alleluia! ...
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2006.
Based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Story behind the song
This is a straightforward attempt to remind ourselves of the gospel, on which we have taken our stand, and by which we are saved (according to Paul, writing to the Corinthians). Its purpose is to list the witnesses, call to mind that we are saved by his grace, and rejoice in the sure confidence which the facts give us.
I've always loved Chris Rolinson's Hymn "Christ is risen, Alleluia" (1989 Kingsway's Thankyou Music, Eastbourne - appearing in Mission Praise 812), and in particular the way it ventures into a new key part-way through the verse ... so I'd like to acknowldge him as the inspirer of my trying something similar for the tune. And for the words, I've always loved the way Paul lists the witnesses to the resurrection so clearly, and I've long wanted a song which simply puts his words into music.
I wrote the words of this song on Easter Sunday, the day we remember above all the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. (However, the tune didn't come until the following day!)
John Hartley
Windows Media Player. When you click the left-hand "play" button your computer should have started to play the tune. If it didn't, you might be able to get the tune by clicking here, or by right-clicking the link, choosing "save target as", saving it onto your computer, and then opening it with a music-playing program.
Please remember that a midi file of a tune isn't supposed to be a state-of-the-art musical arrangement - it is only supposed to give a basic idea of how the tune goes. Any reasonable organist / keyboard player / music group could make it sound far better.