Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Early Methodists were persecuted and lived lives of hardship. Charles Wesley, who with his brother John started the Methodist movement, wanted to encourage his followers. He wanted them to be a singing, joyful people and not get discouraged and lose hope. Paul’s letter to the Philippians gave Wesley the text for "Rejoice, the Lord Is King." Although Paul was imprisoned when he wrote this letter, he wrote a message of joy and encouragement, stating "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice."
"Rejoice, the Lord Is King" was first published with six stanzas in 1744 in John Wesley’s Moral and Sacred Poems. Two years later Charles Wesley included it in Hymns for Our Lord’s Resurrection. Most hymnals include four stanzas, omitting the fourth and fifth stanzas of the original hymn.
We sing "Rejoice, the Lord Is King" to the hymn tune Darwall’s 148th. An alternate hymn tune, Gopsal, was composed by G. F. Handel for the hymn. According to Robert Guy McCutchan (Our Hymnody), Charles Wesley and Handel met at the home of Mr. Rich, whose wife had been converted through the preaching of Wesley. She requested that Handel compose hymn tunes for "Rejoice the Lord Is King" along with "Sinners, Obey the Gospel Word" and "O Love Divine, How Sweet Thou Art." Handel graciously agreed and composed Gopsal, Cannons and Fitzwilliam."
Listen to it here: Rejoice the Lord is King
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