Alabamians share favorite Easter hymns

Johnny Kilgore remembers the joy he felt as a child singing “Low in the Grave He Lay” with his church family at Easter.
   
“I loved the verses that were sung slowly by the congregation,” remembered Kilgore, associate pastor of family ministries, music and senior adults of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Birmingham.  “Then came that chorus.  We would speed up the tempo and sing to the top of our lungs, ‘Up from the grave He arose!’  As a young boy, it was so thrilling to sing that statement.”
   
In fact, in a recent informal sampling of church music directors and choir members around the state, “Low in the Grave He Lay,” also commonly known as “Christ Arose,” was tops on the list of favorites.
   
The words and music were written by Robert Lowry, who was a Baptist pastor who served churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York in the 19th century. 
   
According to Don Campbell, minister of music and worship of First Baptist Church, Birmingham, the gospel style of the song was common in the era.
   
“(It) is dramatic in its depiction of contrasts in mood.  The stanzas are musically pensive as the texts speak of the crucified and buried Christ,” said Campbell. “Then the bright and vibrant refrains joyfully declare ‘Up from the grave He arose.’ And, like Lowry, how can we who know the risen Savior keep from singing, ‘Hallelujah, Christ arose’ ”?
  
For Cecilia Reed who sings in the choir at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Hueytown, the hymn always stirs her emotions.
   
“It’s such a special song, especially when celebrating Easter,” she said.  “It tells of Christ in the grave, and then arising to live again for us.  It’s all about the true meaning of Easter.”
   
Kilgore said he appreciates the hymn, especially as a musician.
   
“As a pianist, I always loved to play the hymn because of its contrast,” he said.  “I would play the verses smoothly and flowingly, and then came a march upbeat style, then slowing down to the ending climax.  It was fun to play.”
   
The hymn is a favorite as well of Tommy Pierce, minister of music of First Baptist Church, Boaz.  He selects various hymns and songs at Eastertime, first focusing on the cross at Palm Sunday and the resurrection at Easter. Pierce’s other favorites include “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” “He Lives” and “Behold the Lamb.”
   
“The music of these fine hymns match the glorious message of Christ’s resurrection perfectly,” he said.
   
For Lori Smitherman of Verbena, nothing quite matches “Meanwhile in the Garden” and “Because He Lives.”
   
“(It’s exciting) that Jesus is alive and we have the promise of an eternity in His presence,” said Smitherman, who often sings in the choir at Chestnut Creek Baptist Church in Chilton County.  “He has risen and death is no longer an eternal separation.”
   
Dale Peterson, minister of music and composer-in-residence at First Baptist Church, Auburn, has no trouble naming his favorite Easter hymn.
   
“As a teenager, I remember the thrill and excitement of singing ‘Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.’ I don’t think at that age I could have explained why except that the words and music were a perfect and powerful match to celebrate the resurrection.”
   
Many years later, he still feels the same excitement about the hymn, written by Charles Wesley.
   
“(It) reminds me that sometimes our singing moves beyond mere words, adding another dimension to our praise,” he added.
   
“Although my faith is a personal faith, I am thrilled each Easter Sunday to know that millions of Christians across almost all denominations all over the world are singing this same great hymn to celebrate Resurrection Day,” Peterson said.
   
The hymn is also a favorite of Tammy Moore of Ariton, who sings in the choir of Rocky Head Baptist Church.  She enjoys a more contemporary song, “There Rose a Lamb,” as well.
   
“Easter songs always give me such a thrill to know that we have a living, loving God who cares for us so much,” said Moore.  “He offered the ultimate sacrifice of His own Son. It just boggles my mind, because I know that I am simply not worthy of this kind of love without Jesus.”
   
For Bob Hatfield, minister of music of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is a special song anytime, but especially at Easter.
   
“Many people feel that this is one of the finest hymns in the English language,” Hatfield said.  “For me, it personalizes the cross of Christ.  It causes me to reflect upon the great sacrifice of Jesus on my behalf.”
   
It puts things of the world, he said, into an eternal perspective.
   
“‘My richest gain’ is as nothing compared to the glory of Christ,” noted Hatfield. “Such a great gift from God demands a response from me — ‘my soul, my life, my all.’”