Saturday 26 March 2016

A Kingo hymn for Easter Sunday

Like the sun in golden splendour

Like the sun in golden splendour
Breaks through clouds as black as night,
Forcing dark and gloom’s surrender
With its radiant shafts of light,
So did Jesus from his grave
And death’s sea’s abysmal cave
Rise in glory, death now scorning
At first blush of Easter morning.

Thanks to thee, from death arisen
And that thou its hold couldst quell
Since it thee could not imprison,
In its tent pitch-black as hell.
Thanks to thee, victorious lord,
Heaven’s hero, much adored.
Proper joy one can but stutter,
For no tongue full praise can utter.

Deep within my heart is something,
Solace which the soul can find,
Which can soothe the pain forthcoming
When thy grave just fills my mind,
And reflect on where thou layst
In death’s endless empty space,
And rose up in power and splendour,
What can greater joy engender?

Should I lie in sin’s foul fetters,
Should I lie by sickness spent,
Should I lie midst worldly debtors
Should I lie by sorrows pent,
Should I lie despised, distressed,
By the world so sore oppressed,
In the grave I’ll make my dwelling,
There’s still hope beyond all telling.

For man’s sin thou paidst most dearly,
Death for me thou hast endured;
I, once wretched, poor and weary,
Also sick, by thee am cured.
I through thee from death’s dark vale
Shall be raised up, whole and hale,
Hold my head erect, unfearing,
All distress see disappearing.

Sin and death and every arrow
Which foul Satan can let fly
Since death’s dark land thee would harrow
Broken and defeated lie!
Thou didst bury them, and give
Me a staff to surely live
So when thou shalt come in glory
I’ll wave victor’s palms fronds for thee.

As God’s Son I now do own thee,
Thy omnipotence perceive,
Your defeat of death has shown me
What I know and I believe,
Blessedness and hope for me,
My baptism’s certainty,
In thy death are like an image
And thy resurrection’s message.

Thou one day to life willst raise me
By thy resurrective power
Let the earth conceal, erase me,
Worms my very juice devour,
Fire and water me consume!
I lie trusting in my tomb
That to life I shall be taken,
In death’s realm not lie forsaken.

Jesus, thy sweet mercy show me,
By thy holy spirit bred,
So my life’s course I can show thee,
When it by thy hand is led,
So I shall not fall again
Into death’s abyss of pain,
Out of which you once retrieved me,
Where you death suppressed completely.

For the joy thy birth’s professing
For your Godhead’s healing word,
For baptism’s holy blessing,
For communion’s joy conferred,
For the quelling of death’s dread,
For thy rising from the dead,
Lord, I thank thee unconfinedly
That in heaven I shall find thee.


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