Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands
Words: Martin Luther , 1524;
trans. Richard Massie, 1854
Music: Christ lag in Todesbanden
Meter: 87 87 78 74

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;
wherefore let us joyful be,
and sing to God right thankfully
loud songs of alleluia!
Alleluia!

It was a strange and dreadful strife
when life and death contended;
the victory remained with life,
the reign of death was ended;
stripped of power, no more it reigns,
an empty form alone remains;
death's sting is lost for ever!
Alleluia!

So let us keep the festival
where to the Lord invites us;
Christ is himself the joy of all,
the sun that warms and lights us;
by his grace he doth impart
eternal sunshine to the heart;
the night of sin is ended!
Alleluia!

We walk by faith, and not by sight
Words: Henry Alford (1810-1871), alt.
Music: St. Botolph
Meter: CM

We walk by faith, and not by sight;
no gracious words we hear from him
who spoke as none e'er spoke;
but we believe him near.

We may not touch his hands and side,
nor follow where he trod;
but in his promise we rejoice;
and cry, "My Lord and God!"

Help then, O Lord, our unbelief;
and may our faith abound,
to call on you when you are near,
and seek where you are found:

that, when our life of faith is done,
in realms of clearer light
we may behold you as you are,
with full and endless sight.

Now the Green Blade Riseth
Words: John MacLeod Campbell Crum (1872-1958)
Music: Noël nouvelet
Meter: 11 10 10 11
Grateful thanks to the CPDL (Choral Public Domain Library) for having the midi to this beautiful French carol!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

In the grave they laid him, love whom hate had slain,
Thinking that never he would wake again.
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green,

Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain.
Quick from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Thy touch can call us back to life again;
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

This joyful Eastertide
Words: George R. Woodward (1848-1934), 1894
Music: Vruechten (This Joyful Eastertide) (Dutch melody from David's Psalmen, Amsterdam, 1685, arranged Charles Wood, 1866-1926)
Meter: 67 67 with Refrain

This joyful Eastertide,
away with care and sorrow!
My Love, the Crucified,
hath sprung to life this morrow.

Refrain:
Had Christ, that once was slain,
ne'er burst his three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain;
but now is Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen.

Death's flood hath lost its chill,
since Jesus crossed the river:
Lover of souls, from ill
my passing soul deliver, Refrain

My flesh in hope shall rest,
and for a season slumber,
till trump from east to west
shall wake the dead in number. Refrain

Easter Anthem
Tune: William Billings, 1787
Words: Edward Young
Meter: Prose

The Lord is ris’n indeed! Hallelujah!
Now is Christ risen from the dead,
And become the first-fruits of them that slept.
Hallelujah, and did He rise? did He rise?
Hear it ye nations! hear it, Oh ye dead!
He rose, He burst the bars of death
And triumphed o’er the grave.
Then I rose, then first humanity
Triumphant passed the crystal ports of light
And seized eternal youth.
Man, all immortal hail,
Hail heaven, all lavish of strange gifts to man,
Thine’s all the glory,
Man’s the boundless bliss.

Easter Anthem begins at 3:35

O Vos Omnes
by Pau Casals i Defilló (Pablo Casals)

O vos omnes qui transitis per viam:
attendite et videte si est dolor sicut dolor meus.

Responsory:
 O vos omnes qui transitis per viam:
 attendite et videte:

   Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.

Antiphon:
O all ye that pass by the way,
attend and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow.

Responsory:
 O all ye that pass by the way,
 attend and see:
   If there be any sorrow like to my sorrow.

We sing the praise of him who died
Words: Thomas Kelly, 1815
Tune: Bow Brickhill, Breslau, Ach bleib bei uns

We sing the praise of him who died,
of him who died upon the cross;
the sinner's hope let men deride;
for this we count the world but loss.

Inscribed upon the cross we see
in shining letters, God is love:
he bears our sins upon the tree:
he brings us mercy from above.

The cross: it takes our guilt away,
it holds the fainting spirit up;
it cheers with hope the gloomy day,
and sweetens every bitter cup.

It makes the coward spirit brave,
and nerves the feeble arm for fight;
it takes its terror from the grave,
and gilds the bed of death with light.

The balm of life, the cure of woe,
the measure and the pledge of love,
the sinner's refuge here below,
the angel's theme in heaven above.

The Stations of the Cross
  1. Jesus is condemned to death
  2. Jesus receives the cross
  3. Jesus falls the first time
  4. Jesus meets His Mother
  5. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
  6. Veronica wipes Jesus' face with her veil
  7. Jesus falls the second time
  8. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
  9. Jesus falls the third time
 10. Jesus is stripped of His garments
 11. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross
 12. Jesus dies on the cross
 13. Jesus' body is removed from the cross (Pieta)
 14. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.

Troparion of the Bridegroom

Behold! The bridegroom approaches in the middle of the night,
And blessed is that servant whom He shall find watching;
But unworthy he whom He shall find careless.
Beware, therefore, O my soul.
Be not overcome with sleep,
lest thou be given over to death and shut outside the kingdom.
But arise and cry:
Holy, holy, holy art Thou, O God!
Through the Theotokos have mercy on us!

Krakow, Poland

Poland
Tune: Timothy Swan, 1785
Words: Isaac Watts, 1719
Meter: Common Meter (8,6,8,6)
Sick/Shut In List and Poland from the Maquoketa River All-Day Singing in 2003

God of my life, look gently down,
Behold the pains I feel;
But I am dumb before Thy throne,
Nor dare dispute Thy will.

I’m but a sojourner below,
As all my fathers were;
May I be well prepared to go
When I the summons hear.

But if my life be spared awhile,
Before my last remove,
Thy praise shall be my bus’ness still
And I’ll declare Thy love.

"The Georgian Harmony" is a new shape-note song book of 78 hymns and fuging tunes composed by Mr. Raymond C. Hamrick of Macon, Georgia.  This video shows him leading three of his hymns

Creation of the Stars from Skete.com

MAKE HASTE, O MY GOD, TO DELIVER
Words: Par­a­phrase of Psalm 70; au­thor un­known.
Music: Del­phine, Hart P. Danks (1834-1903)

Make haste, O my God, to deliver, I pray,
O Lord, to my rescue make haste;
Let those who would harm me be filled with dismay,
And in their own folly disgraced.

Let them be turned back in confusion, O Lord,
Who in my destruction would joy;
Let shame and defeat be their only reward,
Who sneers and derision employ.

May all those who seek Thee, and make Thee their choice,
Great gladness and blessedness see;
May all those who love Thy salvation rejoice
And constantly magnify Thee.

I cry in deep need and Thy help I implore;
Make haste to the rescue, I pray;
My Savior Thou art, and my Strength evermore,
No longer Thy coming delay.