Calvin Seerveld (PHH 22) wrote these words in Toronto in 1985; they were first published in the 1987 Psalter Hymnal. He offered the text as an alternate to "At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing," which is often associated with the tune SONNE DER GERECHTIGKEIT. Seerveld created an effective, festive dismissal hymn in the conviction that the Lord's Supper is best concluded with a jubilee song instead of spoken words.
All three stanzas end with the theme "Christ sets us free." The joyful character of the text comes from remembering the death of Christ in the light of his resurrection, as Paul instructs in 1 Corinthians 15. Christ gave himself freely as the sacrifice (st. 1) required to set us free from sin (st. 2), and because of new life in him, we are free to laugh (st. 3)!
Liturgical Use:
As a dismissal hymn after the Lord's Supper; also very useful at an Easter Lord's Supper service or at the end of the Easter Vigil, after communion. Since every Sunday is a "little Easter," sing it anytime as a post-communion hymn, but not during Lent or Holy Week.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook
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