When looking at hymns related to the ascension of Jesus in the book of Acts, an easy choice is “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing.”
The Author
In the late 600’s, an English monk named the Venerable Bede wrote “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing.” While Bede had a strong interest in poetry and music, and did write several hymns, he was better known as an author, teacher, and scholar, earning the nickname “the Father of English History” with his best know work, the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which covers a detailed history of the Christian churches in England.
An interesting fact about Bede is that he was highly interested in the scientific aspect of dates and particularly enjoyed studying history, theology, and astronomy to try and calculate which date Easter should fall on each year. While his Easter dating was met with some controversy, he was quite successful at convincing people to adopt the dating system that put the birth of Jesus at year 0. It is somewhat fascinating to think about the process of convincing the entire world to change from the older dating system to a newer system that used Anno Domini (A.D.) and Before Christ (B.C.) The complexity of this shift is somewhat comparable to the push to remove daylight savings. Over a thousand years later, the process of changing the dating system is mostly forgotten, but at the time few people really wanted to have to hassle with a change in the status quo. Ultimately, he was quite successful! I wonder where we will be with daylight savings in the year 3000 A.D.?
The Hymn
Bede originally wrote “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing” in Latin around 672-673, but the hymn was not translated into English until 1819. Benjamin Webb’s first translation had 8 stanzas, but this was eventually shortened to 6. Some hymnals have 7 stanzas, while others only print 4. All of them seem to have minor differences.
While I do remember singing this song quite frequently as a child, I have no idea which version it might have been. Here is a 6 stanza version that I liked from the Christian Worship Hymnal:
A hymn of glory let us sing!
1st Stanza: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing
New songs throughout the world shall ring:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ, by a road before untrod,
ascends unto the throne of God.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The first stanza is about Jesus taking the road to the throne of God. Was this a reference to Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; trial, walk to Golgotha, and death on Black Friday; and resurrection on Easter Sunday? There were a lot of roads that Jesus walked, but ultimately, it led him to the ascension.
The holy apostolic band
2nd Stanza: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing
upon the Mount of Olives stand,
Alleluia, alleluia!
and with his followers they see
their Lord ascend in majesty.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The second stanza then talks about Jesus ascending in majesty back into heaven, which is believed to have happened on the Mount of Olives where the Chapel of the Ascension now stands. Another notable events on the Mount of Olives during this same time period was when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before being arrested, but this even was much less joyful and is unlikely to inspire an apostolic band.
To them the shining angels cry,
3rd Stanza: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing
“Why stand and gaze upon the sky?”
Alleluia, alleluia!
“This is the Savior,” thus they say.
“This is his glorious triumph day.”
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
After Jesus ascends into heaven, the disciples stand stunned and it takes a couple of angels to get them moving again. How would you feel if you saw someone floating up into the clouds and being accepted into heaven? I might be stunned into silence and hold great uncertainty about how to proceed!
“You see him now, ascending high
4th Stanza: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing
up to the portals of the sky.”
Alleluia, alleluia!
“Hereafter Jesus you shall see
returning in great majesty.”
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The 4th stanza reminds us that while Jesus is now in heaven, he isn’t planning to stay there forever. Instead, he is going to come back to us just as suddenly as he left. What will we be doing when he returns?
Be now our joy on earth, O Lord,
5th Stanza: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing
and be our future great reward.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Then, throned with you forever, we
shall praise your name eternally.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
In the fifth verse, we are instructed to make Jesus our joy on Earth. Jesus died to take our punishment and he has promised to take us to heaven with him, where we will be able to sing his praises forever. Sometimes it is easy to forget how great a gift Jesus gave us. No matter what troubles we have on Earth, Jesus likely had more. He could have chosen to be rescued, but instead, he became our scapegoat and deserves our honor and praise.
O risen Christ, ascended Lord,
6th Stanza: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing
all praise to you let earth accord.
Alleluia, alleluia!
You are, while endless ages run,
with Father and with Spirit one.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The last verse reminds us that Jesus is part of a triune God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. They are united together into one God and are all worthy of our praise.
This is a beautiful hymn and reminds us that one day we will be able to join Jesus in heaven. Let’s look forward to that event with joy!
Respond
Can you think of other songs or hymns related to Jesus’ ascension? If so, post the title and musician name in the comments!
Related Resources
Visit the Joyful Moments in Christ homepage for all posts, or scroll through other blog posts related to various hymns and songs:
Joyful Moments in Christ 