SUNDAY HYMNS, PART 2 OF 22: CHRIST RETURNETH

Baymont Inn (former Alpine Lodge) parking lot, Cookeville, TN. Photo by Jeff Reynolds

It may be at morn, when the day is awaking,

When sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking,

That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory,

To receive from the world "His own."

It may be at mid-day, it may be at twilight, 

It may be perchance that the blackness of midnight

Will burst into light in the blaze of His glory,

When Jesus receives "His own."

While its hosts cry Hosanna, from heaven descending,

With glorified saints and the angels attending,

With grace on His brow, like a halo of glory,

Will Jesus receive "His own."

Oh, joy! oh, delight! Should we go without dying,

No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying, 

Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory,

When Jesus receives "His own."

O. Lord Jesus, how long, how long

Ere we shout the glad song,

Christ returneth! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen;

Hallelujah! Amen.

NOTES ON ABOVE HYMN

• It may be obvious, but the final stanza is the chorus.
  
• I fell in love with this song when I first heard it. I love the music for the song, and I often sing the chorus for personal worship. (Becky and I sing hymns regularly, but I like this song better than she does.)
• James McGranahan composed the music for this song. He's my favorite hymn composer. If I remember correctly, none of his other songs made my list, but he composed the music for "There Will Be Showers of Blessing", "Sing O Sing of My Redeemer," and "I Know Whom I Have Believed," among others.
• If you look at the music signature, it reads 3/4 4/4. What does that mean? It means that the first three measures of the first two lines of each verse (and the rest of the song) are 3/4, and the fourth measure has an extra beat, which is a rest. A former song-leader of the church where I learned this song said the odd measure said it was more difficult because of the signature. However, I find it similar to "The Solid Rock." The difference is that "The Solid Rock" uses a bird's eye, where the singer holds the note for what turns out to be an extra beat instead of the rest McGranahan uses.