Jesus Conquered Death And Darkness

Tune: Regent Square, by Henry T. Smart (1867)

Here is a new hymn text for Easter and Eastertide - Jesus Conquered Death and Darkness. It is set to the familiar tune Regent Square. It moves from the discovery of the empty tomb, recalls the ministry of Jesus and the power of God, culminating with the Great Commission.

The text was prompted by an Easter Sunday sermon (April 12, 2009) by the Reverend Lorene Eldredge, Pastor of the North Kingstown (RI) United Methodist Church. In her sermon she related the following story: "In 1998 I presided at my grandmother's funeral. My nephew was there, quite young at the time, and not fully aware of what was going on. He was adventurous and not the least bit shy. He came up to me as I was about to begin the graveside service. He threw his arms around my legs and did a pirouette, balancing onto me. He looked down into the grave and said, 'That sure is deep.' 'Yes,' I said, 'it has to be deep.' He continued to study the grave, 'It's dark down there,' he said. And then after looking a while longer very confidently stated, 'I could climb out.'" Pastor Eldredge went on to affirm: "In his innocence he had no idea what he had said. What a hope-filled statement! Jesus had left the darkness of death, and climbed out! Jesus conquered death and darkness and became the Light of the world; the world would never be the same again."

Jesus Conquered Death and Darkness (PDF format)

F. Richard Garland's photo, biography, contact information and links to additional songs and choral music are available on the Discipleship Ministries website.