'Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here

'Tis good, Lord, to be here

'Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here is a hymn text by Chadwick Brett (1860) in 8.7.8.7 D meter. Found in ch95 182, elw 308, gtg 72, h82 135.

The hymn expresses the Lutheran conviction that the glory of Christ's divine nature, fully revealed at the Transfiguration, assures believers of their own transformation and sanctification through faith. It reflects the theological affirmation that Christ's transfigured body points to the resurrection and the glorified life of the redeemed in eternal communion with God.

History & Background

Written by Chadwick Brett in 1860, this hymn commemorates the Transfiguration of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was first published in The Choir and published widely throughout English-speaking hymnody in the latter nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Hymnal Appearances

Chalice Hymnal — 182
Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 308
Glory to God — 72
The Hymnal 1982 — 135
Lutheran Book of Worship — 89
Lutheran Service Book — 414
Lutheran Worship — 89
New Century Hymnal — 87
The Lutheran Hymnal — 135

Bulletin Note

Chadwick Brett's 1860 hymn draws from the Transfiguration account to affirm Lutheran confidence in bodily resurrection and sanctification. Its steady 8.7.8.7 D meter carries the soul from earthly longing toward heavenly hope.

Preaching Connection

This hymn transforms the Transfiguration from a past event into a present proclamation of grace: Christ's revealed divine nature becomes the Gospel's assurance that our mortal bodies too shall be glorified—answering Law's conviction with the resurrection promise.

Background Research

AI-assisted draft This background note was researched with AI from published hymnal sources and has not yet been checked line by line. Please verify details such as dates before relying on them.

Joseph Armitage Robinson (1858-1933), Cambridge scholar (Fellow of Christ's, Norrisian Professor of Divinity), Canon and from 1902 Dean of Westminster. He wrote this c. 1888-90 for the Transfiguration (Julian: c. 1890), filling what Julian called 'a long-felt want' for a Transfiguration hymn; in Hymns Ancient & Modern 1904. Robinson wrote little else in hymnody. Source: hymnary.org (Julian).

AI-assisted draft These study notes were drafted with AI from the hymn text and have not yet been reviewed line by line. Treat them as a starting point and check them against the sources.

Overview

A Transfiguration hymn built on Peter's words 'Lord, it is good for us to be here' (Matt 17:4). It describes Christ's glory (st. 1), Moses and Elijah as witnesses of Law and Prophets (st. 2), Christ as fulfiller of the past and promise of the future (st. 3), the disciples' wish to stay on the mountain (st. 4), and the necessary descent to the plain with Christ (st. 5). It captures the Transfiguration's place between Epiphany and Lent: a glimpse of glory before the road to the cross.

Central theme: The glory of the transfigured Christ, who fulfills Law and Prophets and goes with us down into ordinary life

Structure

Glory (1); witnesses (2); fulfillment (3); wish to stay (4); descent with Christ (5).

Law & Gospel Shape

Gospel throughout; st. 4-5 gently correct a theology of glory.

Confessional Connections

Christ's divine glory shining through his human nature (FC VIII). Theology of the cross: glory now is hidden; we follow Christ to the plain and the cross.

Liturgical Use (Study Notes)

Transfiguration (Last Sunday after Epiphany; Aug 6 in some calendars).

Historical Notes

Robinson (1858-1933), Dean of Westminster and Wells, was a patristic scholar. Written 1888.

About the Tune

POTSDAM — adapted from a J. S. Bach fugue subject; short meter.

Scripture References

Matt 17:1-9 Mark 9:2-10 Luke 9:28-36 2 Pet 1:16-18 Phil 3:21 Luke 9:27, 31

Stanza by Stanza

1 'Tis good, Lord, to be here…

It is good to be here, Lord; your glory fills the night, and your face and clothes shine like the sun with light that is your own.

Peter's words (Matt 17:4) become the church's. 'His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light' (Matt 17:2). 'Unborrowed light' is a precise theological phrase: unlike Moses, whose face reflected God's glory (Ex 34:29-35; 2 Cor 3:7-18), Christ shines with his own divine glory (John 1:14; Heb 1:3). The Transfiguration reveals what was always true of him but usually hidden.

Scripture: Matt 17:1-4, Ex 34:29-35, 2 Cor 3:7-18, John 1:14, Heb 1:3
Imagery & language: Night filled with glory; sunlike face; unborrowed light.
Law / Gospel: Gospel — Christ's glory revealed.
Connection to previous: Opening contemplation.

deity of Christ Transfiguration glory

2 'Tis good, Lord, to be here, Thy beauty to behold…

It is good to see your beauty where Moses and Elijah stand, your ancient messengers.

Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets) appear with Christ (Matt 17:3). They are 'Thy messengers' — they served him and pointed to him (Luke 24:27; John 5:46). Luke adds that they spoke of his 'departure' (exodus) at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31) — the cross. 'Thy beauty to behold' echoes Ps 27:4.

Scripture: Matt 17:3, Luke 9:30-31, Luke 24:27, John 5:46, Ps 27:4
Imagery & language: Beauty; ancient messengers.
Law / Gospel: Gospel — Law and Prophets serving Christ.
Connection to previous: Adds the witnesses.

Law and Prophets Christ-centered Scripture

3 Fulfiller of the past…

Christ is the fulfillment of the past and the promise of what is to come; we greet his glorified body and see our redemption.

Christ fulfills the Law and Prophets (Matt 5:17) and is the pledge of the future. 'We hail Thy body glorified' — the Transfiguration previews the resurrection body (Phil 3:21: he 'will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body'). 'And our redemption see' — what Christ is, we shall become (1 John 3:2). The stanza joins Christology and eschatology.

Scripture: Matt 5:17, 2 Cor 1:20, Phil 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2, Rom 8:23
Imagery & language: Past and future; glorified body.
Law / Gospel: Gospel — promise of glorification.
Connection to previous: Interprets the meaning of the vision.

fulfillment resurrection body eschatology

4 Before we taste of death…

Before dying, we see the kingdom come; we would like to hold onto this bright vision and make the mountain our home.

Jesus had said some would not taste death before seeing the kingdom (Matt 16:28; Luke 9:27), fulfilled first at the Transfiguration. Peter's wish to build tents (Matt 17:4) is the wish to stay in glory and avoid the cross. This is the temptation of a 'theology of glory': wanting the vision without the way of suffering.

Scripture: Matt 16:28, Luke 9:27, 33, Matt 17:4, 2 Pet 1:16-18
Imagery & language: Tasting death; mountain home; bright vision.
Law / Gospel: Implicit Law — the desire to escape the cross.
Connection to previous: The disciples' response.

kingdom of God theology of glory

5 'Tis good, Lord, to be here. Yet we may not remain…

It is good to be here, but we cannot stay; since you tell us to leave the mountain, come with us to the plain.

The mountain is not the destination. Jesus leads the disciples down to a demon-possessed boy and toward Jerusalem (Matt 17:14-23). The prayer 'Come with us to the plain' asks Christ's presence in ordinary life and service. He promises this (Matt 28:20) and gives it through Word and Sacrament. Faith lives not on mountaintop experiences but on Christ's promise in daily life.

Scripture: Matt 17:9, 14-23, Luke 9:37, Matt 28:20, Heb 13:5
Imagery & language: Leaving the mount; the plain.
Law / Gospel: Gospel — Christ with us in daily life.
Connection to previous: Resolves the wish of st. 4.

presence of Christ vocation theology of the cross

Themes

Transfiguration of Christ Divine glory and majesty Sanctification of believers Longing for eternal communion with God

Look Further

Search Hymnary.org for "'Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here" ↗