Ryan Cornett

When the Risen Christ Ascended

Sheet music

WORDS: Ryan Cornett, 2025

MUSIC: François-Hippolyte Barthélémon, 1797

TUNE: AUTUMN (8.7.8.7 D)

1.

When the risen Christ ascended,

With the pow'r of sin undone,

Death's dominion, long extended,

Fell before the Living One.

On the path once sealed from Adam,

He, our Champion, forged the way,

Led a captive host to freedom,

Into everlasting day.

(Ephesians 4:8, Romans 5:12-19, Hebrews 10:19-20, Psalm 68:18)

2.

Lift your heads, ye ancient arches!

Open wide, ye gates of old!

Forth the King of Glory marches—

Christ returning with His fold!

He the dreadful curse has ended,

And the serpent's head has crushed,

Up the hill of God ascended,

Raised to heaven men of dust.

(Psalm 24:7-10, John 10, Genesis 3:15, Galatians 3:13, Hebrews 12:22-24)

3.

Soon the King, in splendor glorious,

Shall descend with trumpet sound;

He will ever reign victorious,

With His people's praises crowned.

All renewed, injustice righted,

From the grave we shall arise;

Ev'ry saint at last united,

We will join Him in the skies.

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, Philippians 3:20-21, Revelation 11:15, Romans 8:11, 17-18)

About the Hymn

I wrote When the Risen Christ Ascended to give voice to a doctrine often overlooked in Western Christianity: the ascension of Christ. While the cross and resurrection are rightly emphasized, the ascension is no less vital. It assures us that Christ not only reigns now, but that He will return—and that we who belong to Him will follow even through death into everlasting life.

Psalm 24 and Ephesians 4:8 were foundational for me as I considered what Scripture says about the moment of ascension and what Christ accomplished through it. These texts helped shape the hymn's arc: from Christ's triumphant departure, to His entrance into glory, to the hope of His return and our final resurrection.

It's my prayer that this hymn will be sung in every season, even in times of sorrow and loss. The truths it tells offer deep assurance, anchored in the risen and reigning Christ.