Thine Is the Glory

Through a lifetime spent as a pastor, Edmond Louis Budry had seen how, for many people, the death of Jesus had become just another event. A date on the calendar. Even a holiday. That their lives had not been transformed by His death and resurrection.

Born in Switzerland in 1854, Budry was fluent in many languages and used this gift to translate hymns from German, English, and Latin into French. But in 1885, he wrote a hymn that came from his own heart and life. In English, this is called, “Thine is the Glory.”

Overwhelmed and humbled, Budry realized all that we owed to Jesus. None of us could claim glory for ourselves, and nothing we could do compared with His impact. Budry wrote, “Thine is the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son.” He had won victory over death, testified by the stone that was rolled away.

Budry pictured the moment when Jesus’ followers met Him outside the empty tomb, realizing that each of us needs to have this kind of personal encounter: “Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb; lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom.” Because of Jesus, we can sing “hymns of triumph.” Because He lives, we can be glad, for death has “lost its sting.”

Jesus provided all we need for true and lasting victory. For life is nothing without Him. And through Him we are “more than conqu’rors” because of His “deathless love.”

Through the refrain, he repeated words that summed up the feeling of his heart: “Thine is the glory, risen conqu’ring Son, endless is the vict’ry, Thou o’er death hast won.”

Today, celebrate the victory that is yours because of Jesus! And give Him all the glory!