Day 39 - Shout with joy to the Lord

There are lots of fantastic Easter hymns, old and new. (I ask myself, why do we habitually not call them hymns and not carols like we do at Christmas?). They cover all the events of the Easter season from the celebratory days like Palm Sunday and Easter day as well as the varied emotions on Maundy Thursday and the sadness of Good Friday. Many of them take me right back to my Sunday school days, through my time at the CF Youth Easter conferences, into adulthood, and they often, well at least the Easter day ones seem to, include more “Hallelujahs” than you can shake a stick at!

A couple of my favourites from my youth are “At Eastertime the lilies fair” by Frederick A. Jackson and “This joyful Eastertide” by George Ratcliffe Woodward. I learnt to sing both of these at Sunday school, even getting to a point of singing them solo or in duet with my sister at Easter services.

CF Youth conferences introduced me to the wonderful world of Graham Kendrick and songs like “The Servant King” and “Led like a lamb to the slaughter”, which we tried to teach to the members of our congregation on our return.

The “old faithful’s“, like “Ride on, ride on in majesty”, “There is a green hill far away”, “Because he lives” and “Thine be the glory risen conquering son”, are always popular at the various Easter services, summing up what we feel through the words we sing.

More recently hymns like “Hosanna (in the highest)”, “In Christ alone” and “Man of Sorrows” (Hillsong) have joined my Easter hymns playlist. Each one bringing another facet to that worship we raise through song.

All of these hymns and songs (and carols?) have taken their place in my Easter worship – the emotions of the events that changed the world being expressed through song.

I wonder what your favourite hymn for Eastertide is? Is it a joyful one that reminds you of Palm Sunday and Easter Day or one that helps you to share in the pain and suffering that Jesus went through on the cross. Maybe it is one that tells the whole story? Maybe something from your youth? Or a modern one you've just discovered?

Whatever songs you raise your voice to this coming week, may they bless you and help you as you journey through this coming week. In the words of Psalm 100

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us, and we are his.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever,

and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Catherine Booton