Worship Arts Notes ♫♫
Can you imagine what the disciples and followers of Jesus must have said as word spread that he was not in the tomb? The words “He lives” seem to be one plausible option.
Alfred Ackley was born on January 21, 1887. His father was a Methodist Minister who provided a strong foundation for him in music. He was a proficient pianist and cellist.
As a young man, he began composing songs. He felt called to the pastorate and graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary in Maryland. He was ordained as a Presbyterian Minister in 1914. He pastored churches in Pennsylvania and California. Even while pastoring churches, he never stopped composing and writing. He often composed with his brother, Bentley DeForest Ackley. Alfred Ackley even worked alongside evangelist Billy Sunday for a while.
“He Lives,” also often referred to as “I Serve a Risen Savior,” the hymn's first line. In Forty Gospel Hymns stories, we are told, “In the 1930s, there was a preacher named Alfred Ackley. During a time of evangelistic meetings he was holding, a young Jewish student asked the question, “Why should I worship a dead Jew?” Using the Scriptures to witness to him, Pastor Ackley explained to this young man how Jesus was alive. “He Lives! I tell you, He is not dead but lives here and now! Jesus Christ is more alive today than ever before. I can prove it by my own experience and the testimony of countless thousands.”
The thought of our resurrected Savior was in his thoughts after that conversation. The idea became even more present as he prepared for his Easter sermon.
”On that Resurrection Day, as he rose early to prepare, Ackley turned on his radio. He was then shocked to hear a liberal preacher say something like this, “You know, it doesn’t matter to me if Christ be risen or not. His body could have turned to dust long ago in some Palestinian tomb. But what’s important is that His truth goes marching on!”
“It’s a lie,” Pastor Ackley yelled. He was worked up by what he had heard, which mixed with his continual thoughts of the Scripture, “He lives! I tell you, He is NOT dead, but lives here and now! Jesus Christ is more alive today than ever before. I can prove it by my own experience and the testimony of countless thousands.”
That morning and evening, Ackley preached with great zeal on realizing our Lord’s resurrection. But later that night, he still could not shake the question of that young Jewish student and the words of that liberal preacher. Then, his wife encouraged him to do something about it.”
In telling the story later, Rev. Ackley said that he preached that Easter Sunday quite differently than he had ever preached before, but at the end of the day, still felt that he had not yet said everything he wanted to say!
He turned to the passage in Mark that described Christ’s resurrection. The words “He Lives” in the passage stuck out to Ackley. He then began to write as the words flowed from him. In moments, he was at the piano adding music to the words he’d been inspired to write.
The hymn first appeared in Triumphant Service Songs, a hymnal published by the Rodeheaver Company in 1933. It has been a favorite with evangelical congregations since that time.
