"This Is My Father's World" (ELW 824)
1. This is my Father's world,
and to my list'ning 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 ev'rywhere.
3. This is my Father's world;
oh, let me not 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 heaven ring;
God reigns, let earth be glad!
-------
This hymn was written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, a minister from upstate New York. He would often go for long walks by Niagara Falls and Lake Huron where he enjoyed the panoramic views. It was here that he was inspired to write the poem that is the basis of this hymn. The hymn reminds me of a large painting called "Serenity." The artist portrayed a huge, roaring, roiling waterfall that fills most of painting. In the foreground there is a birch tree with a bird's nest where a mother robin perches.
For me the waterfall represents the chaos, fear, and terror of life today. In the midst of this tumult sits the robin on her nest. That image for me represents the "peace that passes all understanding." As the hymn puts it, "though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." No matter what happens this is still God's world!
O God, this is indeed your world; so why should my heart be sad? You are the King, let heaven ring; You reign so let the earth be glad! Amen.
David Kupka
Retired
Doctor of Ministry, 1983
---------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment