In this series, I take a brief glance at some of the modern hymns, as an old guy. 😀. Knowing so many wonderful old hymns, it would be easy for me to be critical, but I try not to be.
Today’s hymn has a strange word in brackets in the title – Anástasis. What does that mean? I’ll ask my friend Microsoft Copilot.
Anástasis (ἀνάστασις) is a Greek word that means “resurrection” or “rising up again.”
Ah – I thought that it meant something like that.
The hymn is just ten years old – released in 2015. You can read the lyrics in the second video and on the music-ministry.org site. The lyrics are quite rich theologically, with a focus on the cross, the resurrection, and the future return of Jesus. It was intentionally written to feel like a timeless hymn, bridging traditional and contemporary worship
When I was a young believer back in the 1980s, people often criticized the new songs for their lack of depth. I suppose some of them didn’t say very much. But even then, the criticism seemed a little unfair. And when I analyze today’s songs, I find very little fault with them. And even when I do, I try not to let that put me off singing them. It’s a little like listening to a sermon. I might not agree with everything in it, but the Holy Spirit can speak to me through it just the same.
Today’s hymn is based on the following passage. I’ll quote from the Word English Bible (WEB) which doesn’t have copyright restrictions.
1 Corinthians 15:3–8
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.
Notice that he mentioned “according to the Scriptures”. The Messiah had been anticipated in the Old Testament. They didn’t understand all the details, but after Jesus rose from the dead, he spent several weeks with them and explained how it all fitted in with Old Testament prophecies.
Luke 24:24-47
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms concerning me must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures. 46 He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
O Praise the Name is one of many hymns about the resurrection of Jesus. Why didn’t Jesus just return to heaven when he died? Why did he physically rise? Well, it sets him apart from all those philosophers who might be very wise and sincere, but who offer no real proof that they speak on God’s behalf. This is the very point that the Apostle Paul made to the Greeks at Athens:
Acts 17:31
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.
And more importantly, it shows what we can expect from him – that we too will rise. And the most amazing thing of all is that he didn’t just become human for a while. There is nothing to indicate that he’ll ever cease to be human. And of course, He never ceased to be God. I like the last verse of the hymn:
He shall return in robes of white,
The blazing Son shall pierce the night.
And I will rise among the saints,
My gaze transfixed on Jesus’ face
There are a good many old hymns about the resurrection too. Here are a couple of examples (the second one isn’t all that old):
Resurrection
And here are two older ones about the return. Again, one is very old and the other goes back to the 20th Century.
Hibernia Gospel 