Joy Dispels Our Sorrow

Morning light was dawn­ing o’er the dist­ant hills

Banished was the mid­night gloom;

Silently the an­gels clad in bright ar­ray

Came to guard the dear Re­deem­er’s tomb.

Soldiers were af­fright­ed and in ter­ror fled

While the an­gels roll the stone away.

Then with joy pro­claim­ing

Christ the Lord is ris’n;

See the place where once the Sav­ior lay.

Joy dispels our sor­row—plea­sures banish pain—

Earth awakes from win­ter’s gloom;

Easter an­thems ring­ing tell the joy­ful news

Christ is ris­en from the tomb.

Loving ones who sought Him at the break of day

Found the an­gels wait­ing there;

Joy dis­pelled their sor­row—fear gave way to faith—

Hope suc­ceeded all their deep des­pair.

For the an­gels told them

Je­sus is not here

But had sure­ly ris­en as He said.

Then with ea­ger foot­steps joy­ful­ly they tell

How that Christ had ris­en from the dead.

Easter tells its glad­ness all the year around—

Happy birds their tri­bute bring;

Fragrant flow­ers bloom­ing af­ter win­ter days

Speak to us the joys of com­ing spring.

Earthly plea­sures van­ish

flow­ers soon shall fade

But the joy of East­er shall en­dure.

Hope of re­sur­rect­ion nev­er shall grow dim

While the Word of God abid­eth sure.