Hymns of resurrection

On Singing the Faith Plus, we already have one overview of some of the hymns suitable for singing after Easter, available both in Singing in the Faith and here on our website. It’s available at Christ is alive! Christians will sing. To this we also add Andrew T. Murphy's 2018 hymn A new day dawns - an Easter hymn that connects Christ’s resurrection with the creation of the world.

But there’s always more to add. Different ways of expressing resurrection hope and joy may be found in unexpected places… for example, in our feature, Hymns for St Patrick.

Exploring through hymns and melodies associated with Ireland, we have been reminded of Thomas Kelly’s The head that once was crowned with thorns (StF 312), described by the composer and musicologist Erik Routley as “perhaps the finest of all hymns”. There’s the hymn Be thou my vision (StF 545), whose tune name “Slane” has a very particular Easter association. And how could we do better than mark ourselves out as Easter people by singing the closing lines of I cannot tell why he, whom angels worship (StF 350):

But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture,
and myriad, myriad human voices sing,
and earth to heaven, and heaven to earth, will answer:
“at last the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!”

We’ve also taken time to reflect on what one theologian called “the only truly authentic Easter hymn”, the deceptively simple Now the green blade rises (StF 306).

Finally, we’re delighted to have published responses to our question: No hymn for Thomas? We were on the hunt for hymns about Jesus’ disciple, often dubbed “doubting Thomas”. In response we received Andrew Pratt’s What peace is there for tarnished lives? and Heather Gallagher's Like Thomas; while Adrian Low draws our attention to other aspects of Thomas’s story and reveals a passionate man committed to the challenges of Christian life: When our futures are uncertain (website only).