Glorious Day

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a Virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He

Chorus
Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my beloved one bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine

This song may be familiar to many of you – both young and old.  The contemporary Christian group, Casting Crowns, has popularized this song and it has become a popular worship song in many churches across America.  The fact that a 21st Century group sings this song may disqualify this song as a hymn for some of you, and I do understand that mindset.  I, too, am partial to the “A-B-C” hymns of the faith – Amazing Grace, Blessed Assurance, and Crown Him with many crowns.  I, too, lean towards songs that were written 100 years ago versus songs that have become popular over the last few years.  That is really the heart of the “Hymn of the week” emails.  To bring back these beloved songs of our past.  But as you read the lyrics of this song, I hope that you focus more on the truth found in the words rather than the fact that it has been on the Top 40 Contemporary Christian Hits for the past couple of years.

Couple of comments on the lyrics:

• “My example is He” – Our family has been learning a catechism and the most recent question in the catechism has to do with Christ’s humiliation.  To be honest, I don’t like to think of the Lord being humiliated, as I interpret humiliation.  When I think of humiliation, I think of people making fun of someone, putting them down, criticizing their physical flaws to the point where they break someone’s spirit.  I don’t like to think of Jesus that way.  I like to think of Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The conquering hero riding on a white horse with His enemies slain at His feet.  But Jesus was humiliated.  Humiliated in the sense that He was made fun of.  He was criticized by all kinds of people.  He was mocked by the soldiers.  But more importantly, His humiliation had to do with His humility.  The Bible says in Philippians 2 that “He humbled Himself.”  He wasn’t humiliated by the Pharisees or by Pilate.  He wasn’t humbled by a band of Roman soldiers or self-righteous Pharisees.  He humbled Himself, and took the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death – even death on the cross.  He is my example of humility.  Not that I should be humbled by the world or others around me, but that I should humble myself and serve others like Christ did for us.

• “Living…Dying…Rising” – These three words really epitomize the life of Jesus.  He lived life to the fullest.  He lived a life of purpose.  He lived a life focused on others.  Dying also was a huge part of Jesus’ life.  You see you can’t talk about Jesus without talking about His death on the Cross.  You can’t talk about how great a teacher He was, or how He could really “wow” the crowds with His teaching without ultimately recognizing that His death was His ultimate purpose on earth.  Did He come to heal?  Yes.  Did He come to teach?  Absolutely.  Did He perform great miracles?  Of course.  But His primary purpose was to be the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.  Finally, rising was an important part of Jesus’ life.  You see had He not risen from the dead, He would have been a liar and He would not be God.  Had He not risen from the dead, we would not have hope of forgiven sins and eternal life.  Living, dying, and rising – all critical parts of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, to the background behind this song.  I originally thought this was a modern day song written and sung by the group Casting Crowns.  However, I stumbled across it in my “Book of Worship for United States Forces” – a military hymnal published in 1974.  This song, I mean hymn, was written and published in the early 1900’s.  Wow – this “modern” song is over 100 years old!  J. Wilbur Chapman was a Presbyterian minister in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s and authored just a few hymns that we have today.  He is probably more famous for the hymn “Jesus, what a friend for sinners” aka “Hallelujah, what a Savior!” than he is for this hymn.

I don’t know about you, but my perspective and thoughts about this song changed when I found out it was 100 years old.  I asked myself “Would the younger crowd stop singing it if they knew it was written a long time ago and could be found on the pages of a “dusty” church hymnal?  Would the older crowd refuse to sing this “modern” song because of the difference in music styles?”  I then smiled when I thought about the truth that a song filled with good theology about the Lord Jesus Christ can span across the generations.  When the Lord inspires men and women to pen songs of praise to Him, these songs can stand the test of time.  They can speak to all generations.

For those of you who prefer to listen to the modern version of this song, here’s the link to Casting Crowns version:

For those of you who prefer a more traditional version of this song, here’s a link:

I pray that you will find a version of this song that focuses your heart on the Lord no matter what version it may be.  That truly is the purpose of these great old hymns….and these new modern songs.  To lift up the name of Jesus.