A New Tune for Ascension Day

Today is the day the church in the west celebrates the ascension of our Lord into heaven. Yes, believe it or not, it’s been forty days since Easter!

To commemorate the day I wrote a new tune to a beloved ascension hymn, “Look Ye Saints! The Sight is Glorious!” Written by Thomas Kelly in the early 1800s, it is an extended reflection on Hebrews 2:9:

But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

I’ve taken the liberty of revising some wording, starting with the opening line. Under the new title “Lift Your Eyes! The Sight is Glorious!” I updated older language and added other benefits of the ascension and session of Christ, all in hopes the text will find new life with a fresh tune.

Careful hymnologists will notice the absence of the third stanza. I’ve excluded it here because I’m working on a bridge that would incorporate the stanza in a minor key (it begins “sinners crowned him in derision, mocking thus the Savior’s claim”) before resolving it in the last stanza.

You can find the sheet music here. Let me know what you think.

Happy Ascension Day!