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!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

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A prayer for Easter Day from the Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty God, who through your only-begotton Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you an the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

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A couple of Easter Reflections worth reading:

From Alyce M. McKenzie’s post on Patheos “Resurrection: The Ultimate Spoiler Alert”:

Like the women this Easter morning you and I are invited by the angels to put the negative, death dealing, disappointing features of our lives together with Jesus’ prior predictions of resurrection. We are challenged by their question: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” We could flip the question around and it would be just as apt. “Why do you seek death where you have been promised life?”

From John C. Holbert (also on on Patheos), “Go and Tell Everyone!”:

Throughout Mark’s telling of the story of Jesus, again and again persons in the gospel are warned not to say anything of what they have seen, but in typical human fashion they blab it all over the countryside. But finally they are told directly to “tell what they have seen” without restraint, yet they are mute and say nothing at all. A moment’s thought will see the point. If the women did not tell, then someone must and that someone is you and I. The upshot of the raising of Jesus is that the world is now decisively different, because God has announced that the way of Jesus is the way of God, and all must follow Jesus to Galilee and walk in the way he has walked, living a life of justice and compassion and care for self and the world. And we, all of us who have witnessed this truth must tell it and live each day, on all the Mondays that are to come.

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Anyone who might be in New Haven this evening is invited to join the Episcopal Church at Yale and our ecumenical partners from Luther House at Yale for a celebration of Easter this evening at 5PM in Dwight Hall Chapel on Yale’s Old Campus. There will be a dinner after the service, both the service and the dinner are open to all!