WARREN SHIVER CHRIST THE LORD

IS RISEN TODAY Author: Charles Wesley (1708-1788) Composer: Unknown

In addition to being one of the first English hymn writers, Charles Wesley was also the most prolific. He wrote almost 6,500 hymns. Charles' brother John led one of the greatest Evangelistic Crusades in history. He preached approximately forty thousand sermons. It has been said that for fifty years neither of the Wesley brothers wasted a minute of time. John Wesley went to bed every night at 10:00 o'clock promptly and got up at 4:00 AM every morning. Travel was done by horse and buggy in those days and John had a table for writing built in his personal buggy. He wrote more than two hundred books and Bible tracts while traveling from church to church to preach.

Charles Wesley wrote hymns morning, noon, and night. Once when his horse threw him off, he fell on his wrtiting hand and suffered a sprain and he was concerned that he would miss a few days of writing hymns. While he was dating his wife to be, he wrote her love letters in the form of hymns. He even wrote hymns on his wedding day. In 1780 Charles Wesley was 73 years old and John was 77. John held his brother's hymns in high esteem and published them in his pamphlets and revival songbooks.

As the founders of Methodism grew into the sunset of their lives, John wanted to preserve the best of Charles' hymns in one great book. In the preface of the new hymnal, John pleaded for the editors down through the ages not to tinker or change any of Charles' hymns. John might have served his cause better if he had employed an editor. For he, himself, discarded "Jesus Lover of My Soul" and one ,Charles wrote in 1739, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today". On his deathbed in 1788, Charles Wesley whispered lines of a poem while his wife wrote them down. This showed a man dedicated to his Christian work until death.Charles was 81 years old when he died.

His brother John continued preaching after Charles' death, but at

the age of eighty-six, two sermons a day tired him so, that he reduced the number to seven a week. He died in 1791 almost ninety years old. Doctors said he didn't have a disease, but had simply worn out.

It was fifty years after John published "The Best of Charles Wesley's Hymn Book" in 1830 that an editor found the hymn "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and included it in the Wesleyan Hymn book. Charles did not write the word "alleluia" to the end of each line. A tinkering editor did that to make it better fit the tune. Perhaps John Wesley would not mind the change, since it was discarded by him and would have been lost forever. Not only does it appear in Wesleyan hymnals but hymnals of all faiths.

Stories Behind The Hymns is written by Warren Shiver of Biscoe,NC. Shiver has been fascinated with the true stories behind the hymns since he was a 12-year old attending East Gaffney Baptist Church in Gaffney, S.C. He began studying the stories behind the hymns in 1957. If you have questions or comments, he can be reached by email at wshiver99@ embarqmail.com or by mail at PO BOX 775,Biscoe,NC 27209.

CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY

This is the original verse:
Sons of men and angels say
Raise your joys and triumphs high
Sing ye heavens and earth reply
Sing ye heavens and earth reply
Charles Wesley was born 1708 Died 1788.
John Wesley was born 1703 Died 1791.
THIS IS TODAY'S VERSION
Verse 1
Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth,reply, Alleluia!
Verse 2
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O Death is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Dying once He all doth save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory O Grave? Alleluia!
Verse 3
Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened Paradise, Alleluia!
Verse 4
Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!