Rejoice, the Lord is King

by Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

(stanzas 1 & 2)

Rejoice, the Lord is king! Your Lord and king adore;
Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains, He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

(3 & 4)

His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

(5 & 6)

He all His foes shall quell, shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell with pure seraphic joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!

Notes on the Hymn

Charles Wesley is universally recognized as one of the greatest and most prolific hymn writers of all time. He wrote over 6,500 hymns expressing a wide range of Christian experience.

"Rejoice, the Lord is King!" first appeared in "Moral and Sacred Poems," published by John Wesley in 1744. Charles Wesley published it again, slightly revised, in "Hymns for Our Lord's Resurrection, in 1746. Five of the six original stanzas contain a short refrain encouraging the believer to lift up both heart and voice. Thus, Wesley creates a beautiful poetic synthesis of informed, conscious thought and deep emotion.