“Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands,” ELW 370
Devotion
Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands
for our offenses given;
but now at God's right hand he stands
and brings us life from heaven.
Therefore let us joyful be
and sing to God right thankfully
loud songs of hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Here the true Paschal Lamb we see,
whom God so freely gave us,
who died on the accursed tree—
so strong God's love!—to save us.
See, his blood now marks our door;
faith points to it; death passes o'er,
and Satan cannot harm us. Hallelujah!
So let us keep the festival
to which the Lord invites us;
Christ is the very joy of all,
the sun that warms and lights us.
Now his grace to us imparts
eternal sunshine to our hearts;
the night of sin is ended. Hallelujah!
Then let us feast this Easter day
on Christ, the bread of heaven;
the Word of grace has purged away
the old and evil leaven.
Christ alone, our holy meal,
the hungry soul will feed and heal;
faith lives upon no other! Hallelujah!
(Stanza 2 has been omitted for copyright purposes. We apologize for the inconvenience.)
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! This wonderful Easter hymn by Martin Luther celebrates the resurrection with "loud songs of hallelujah!" Luther based this hymn (both text and tune) on the German hymn "Christ is Arisen" (ELW 372), which itself was based on "Christians, to the Paschal Victim" (ELW 371). While Luther wrote seven stanzas, we have five here, the message is indeed preserved! On the cross Christ bound himself to sin and death, and in his resurrection broke those chains. The "theological center" comes in the central verse (3) with Christ's death and sacrifice for us. Luther said, "The devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God." Let us sing with joy! Hallelujah!
Prayer
Lord, we give you thanks that we can sing with confidence, "Hallelujah, Christ is Risen!" We praise you that through your dying and rising again we too can have life. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.