Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Let's Sing” – Monday, 25 August 2014 - Scripture: Genesis 1:1-13

Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Let's Sing” – Monday, 25 August 2014 - Scripture: Genesis 1: Heaven and Earth
1-2 First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
3-5 God spoke: “Light!”
        And light appeared.
    God saw that light was good
        and separated light from dark.
    God named the light Day,
        he named the dark Night.
    It was evening, it was morning—
    Day One.
6-8 God spoke: “Sky! In the middle of the waters;
        separate water from water!”
    God made sky.
    He separated the water under sky
        from the water above sky.
    And there it was:
        he named sky the Heavens;
    It was evening, it was morning—
    Day Two.
9-10 God spoke: “Separate!
        Water-beneath-Heaven, gather into one place;
    Land, appear!”
        And there it was.
    God named the land Earth.
        He named the pooled water Ocean.
    God saw that it was good.
11-13 God spoke: “Earth, green up! Grow all varieties
        of seed-bearing plants,
    Every sort of fruit-bearing tree.”
        And there it was.
    Earth produced green seed-bearing plants,
        all varieties,
    And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.
        God saw that it was good.
    It was evening, it was morning—
    Day Three.
“Let's Sing” by Patricia Kissell
In his Christian Theology H. Orton Wiley, a well-known early Wesleyan theologian described Genesis 1 as the “Hymn of Creation” or “Poem of the Dawn.” This prompted me to investigate several hymnals to see how our hymns reflect his description of creation. One hymnal listed 27 hymns and readings specific to creation while the second hymnal’s topical index enumerated 22 creation hymns.
Here some excerpts from these hymns:
Isaac Watts “I Sing the Mighty Power of God”
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed Where’er I turn my eye
Francis of Assisi “All Creatures of our God and King”
Thou flowing water pure and clear, make music for thy Lord to hear
Henry van Dyke “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”
All Thy works with joy surround Thee; Earth and Heav’n reflect Thy rays
Folliott Pierppoint, "For The Beauty of The Earth"
For the beauty of the earth, For the glory of the skies

God gave us this gift of creation and we are to take delight and pleasure in His handiwork. These hymns will stick in my head, and I might just have to break out singing. What better time to do so than during the early-morning walk with the dogs?

Hymn for Today:

"This Is My Father's World" by Maltbie Babcock
1. This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--
His hand the wonders wrought.
2. This is my Father's world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.
3. This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!

God reigns; let earth be glad! 

Thought for Today:

“God reign s over the universe He created and is worthy of our praise”(Session Truth).
Prayer Needs:
Many people in Antigua will come to know Jesus the Christ, Yeshua the Messiah, and receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
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