"All Creatures of Our God and King" (Trinity Hymnal 115)

Hymn of the Month, November 2018
Researched and written by Rev. Nicholas Davelaar

This month’s hymn is one of the older, more storied hymns in the Trinity Hymnal, coming out of a small reed hut in Italy in the year 1225. 
 
By all accounts Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) wrote this hymn there near the end of his life. Nearly blind and unable to endure daylight, he spent much of the summer that year in that hut. Knowing that death was near, Francis was visiting a dear friend one last time, a woman named Clara who had been the first woman to join the order of the Franciscans. She had the hut built for him in the midst of her convent’s garden to give him a dark, quiet place where he could think and pray. He did more than think and pray there—he sang too, as those who occasionally came within earshot of the hut later told. He also wrote a least one poem there, this month’s hymn, a reflection on Psalm 145 that also contains many echoes of Psalm 148. 
 
In this poem Francis did what he is often remembered for, namely preaching to all creatures, urging them to praise God. Many paintings of Francis of Assisi portray him preaching to the birds; such paintings capture well the thrust of Francis’ poem.
 
Centuries later the English minister William Draper (1855-1933) translated/paraphrased Francis’ poem into English for use at a children’s Pentecost festival in Leeds. He did this in or around 1910, and later saw his translation/paraphrase included in a 1919 children’s hymnal. Draper paraphrased and authored dozens of other hymns, but “All Creatures of Our God and King” tops them all.
 
In all of the hymnals represented in the hymnary.org database, “All Creatures of Our God and King” is accompanied by only one tune. This tune first appeared in a 1623 German hymnal, alongside the Easter hymn “Lasst Uns Erfreuen Herzlich Sehr,“ which is translated “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing” in the Trinity Hymnal (#289). The English composer Ralph Vaughn Williams revised it lightly at the beginning of the 20thcentury for use in the 1906 English Hymnal, and it later accompanied the very first publication of “All Creatures of Our God and King” in 1919.
 
As previously noted, “All Creatures of Our God and King” had its beginning in a small reed hut in Italy in 1225. Yet, looked at a different way, the hymn predates the life of Francis of Assisi by many centuries. Francis of Assisi, with William Draper’s later help, merely used his creative talents to express the testimony of the psalms anew, particularly Psalms 145 and 148. In fact, many of the lines of the hymn, as it stands today, closely echo Psalm 148. 
 
This month’s hymn leads us in expressing the call of those psalms. When we sing it we call all that God created to praise our God and King. We are convinced that he is worthy of endless praise—from each and every one of his creatures, both those that are living as well as those that are inanimate—and we express that together in this song.
 
All creatures of our God and King, 
lift up your voice with us and sing 
alleluia, alleluia! 
Thou burning sun with golden beam, 
thou silver moon with softer gleam, 
O praise him, O praise him, 
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 
 
This month’s hymn begins with a clear call to all creatures to praise the LORD, echoing Psalm 148:7, 10: “Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps… beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!” In addition to that, we sing that call to praise the LORD at least seven more times in this verse and each of the four verses that follow. In the refrain we sing O praise him twice and alleluia (“Praise the LORD” in Hebrew) three times, and each verse contains a similar, two-fold, mini refrain as well. Needless to say, the call of our song is unmistakable, and we direct it to inanimate parts of God’s creation no less than living creatures. In the second half of this verse we call the burning sun and silver moon to praise God, in an echo of Psalm 148:3: “Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!”
 
O rushing wind that art so strong, 
ye clouds that sail in heav'n along, 
alleluia, alleluia! 
Thou rising morn in praise rejoice, 
ye lights of evening, find a voice, 
O praise him, O praise him, 
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 

In this verse we continue to our call to all creation, beginning with the rushing wind and the clouds that sail in heaven (sky) along. Once again we do so echoing Psalm 148. Psalm 148:4, 8: “Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! …fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!” In the second half of this verse we continue along those lines, joining the writer of Psalm 148 in crying out to the rising morn and lights of evening to find a voice to praise God. Psa 148:3: “Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!” 
 
In what ways do you personally need to hear this call that you yourself are singing? In what areas of your life do you yet live with a creaturely mindset? In what ways do you still seek your own glory as opposed to your God and King’s? May Psalm 145:10 be true of you this week: “All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!”
 
Thou flowing water, pure and clear, 
make music for thy Lord to hear, 
alleluia, alleluia!
Thou fire, so masterful and bright 
that givest man both warmth and light, 
O praise him, O praise him, 
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 
 
This third verse continues the same pattern as before, but with a different psalm in view. When we call the flowing water, pure and clear, to make music for the Lord to hear, we echo Psalm 69:34 and its call to the seas to praise God: “Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.” Then, in the second half of this verse, we return to Psalm 148:8, calling fire, so masterful and bright, also to praise God.
 
And all ye men of tender heart,
forgiving others, take your part, 
O sing ye, alleluia! 
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
praise God and on him cast your care,
O praise him, O praise him, 
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 
 
If we call even water and fire to praise God, how much more should we ourselves strive to do so in what we do and say? In this fourth verse we call ourselves and our fellow humans, believers and unbelievers alike, to join the rest of creation in praising the Lord. That call is implied in the previous verses, but we make it explicit here, following the lead of Psalm 148 once again. After calling living things and inanimate objects of various kinds to praise the Lord, Psalm 148:11-13 shines the spotlight on us: “Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.” We do much the same in this fourth verse, calling all men of tender heart to take their part by forgiving others (Matthew 18:33; Eph 4:32) and singing alleluia!
 
Then, quite unexpectedly in such a joyful song, we turn our attention to those bearing pain and sorrow. Pain and sorrow are real, and some of us and our neighbors have long known that first-hand. Here we plead with them and even we ourselves to praise God and on him cast your care, following the lead not only of David in Psalm 69:29-30, but also the clear command of God. In 1 Pet 5:7 God through the apostle Peter calls us to “[cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
 
Will you? Will you even raise your voice, whether carefree or troubled, to sing out the call of this month’s hymn? God is worthy of praise, whatever your circumstances. What is more, praising God is a powerful medicine that goes a long way in sustaining our hearts in times of pain and sorrow.
 
Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship him in humbleness,
O praise him, alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, three in one. 
O praise him, O praise him, 
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
 
As we begin to bring our song to an end, we sing one final, concluding call to all things to bless their Creator (echoing Psalm 148:5 especially), and then end by identifying more specifically the God and King we have been pointing to all along. Who is this God and King? He is the Triune (three in one) God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. This identification forms an important bridge between this hymn and its content and the many other great truths of Christianity, especially concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. Were this a generic call to praise God, solely on account of the fact that he created us, we wouldn’t be singing it, at least not genuinely, and certainly not joyfully. Why not? Because we are born rebels against him, rebels who by nature only add to our guilt daily. Yet this God not only created us, but also came to earth to bear the wrath and curse we deserve. That good news is what drives this hymn. As such it is fitting that we close by proclaiming just who this God is that we’ve been calling all creatures to praise.
 
Have you received and rested in Jesus Christ for salvation? Do you still receive and rest in him? Is that good news motivating you to sing this song? And not just to sing it, but to live it out?