Favorite Christian Music, Inspired by the Creation
How Great Thou Art
As the current editor of AllCreation.org i get to share a lot of things i care a lot about. My earliest memory of being moved in a worship service comes from singing How Great Thou Art with the congregation at First Baptist, Austin. This music made me viscerally aware of our connectedness, even as a small child.
Today, at least 40 years later, the refrain "Then sings my soul..." still tops my list of all time best sing-a-longs. I mean it. This music is some of the most uplifting in the world to sing. You should try it.
I was so happy to find How Great Thou Art depicted over and over again on YouTube with arresting images from all across the Creation. Such majesty in this world. Such inspiration.
Here is a recent version of this great hymn along with a smattering of other recordings and resources for Christian music about, or inspired by, the Creation.
6/27 Update from incourage:
How Great Thou Art (1885) Inspired by the Creation -- "Carl Bobert, a Swede, was walking home from church and listening to the church’s bells in 1885. A sudden, awe-inspiring storm gripped his attention, and then just as suddenly as it arrived, it subsided to a calm. After watching this display of nature, he went home and penned this poem. He published it in 1886, then it was matched to a Swedish folk tune in 1888, and then translated in to German in 1907, Russian in 1912, and finally English in 1925."
His Eye Is On The Sparrow (1905), performed by the Mississippi Children's Choir:
John Rutter's famous arrangement of For The Beauty of the Earth (1864) sung by the St. Paul's Cathedral Boys Choir:
For the Fruit of All Creation (date uncertain) sung by St. Thaddeus' Episcopal Church Choir:
Children's Music
From Amie King - "All the songs (in Music Machine) were based on the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). Who can forget Herbert the snail singing about patience in a low, plodding voice or the sentiment that peace was holding Jesus’ hand? My mother loved the song about gentleness, partly for its lyrics but also because it featured a mother/daughter pair. We learned it when I was about eight but it wasn’t until recently that I really contemplated the words."
Gentleness
Written by Georgian Banov & Winnie Banov
Gentle breeze, gentle breeze
Blowing through the trees
And the meadow filled with flowers
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
In the still of the night
When you draw me near
Just to whisper how you care
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
Your dear Son walked the earth
He was full of love
Now He lives within my heart
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
Showing me Your gentleness
How I love You
In this lyric, "God is felt in a gentle breeze or as a force that comes in the still of the night. This is nature inspired music that completes the circle of our understanding about creator and creation." (Amie)
Nature-themed Videos
Contemporary Christian Music
Brian Doerksen is a contemporary Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader whose songs are sung around the world. His Creation Calls (below) is a huge favorite with fans, inspiring more than a dozen high quality homemade videos on YouTube.
Here's a powerful example of contemporary praise music, from Hillsong Church. Recommended:
Dan Forrest, Requiem for the Living
"I particularly wanted to aim my requiem at the living... Praying for rest for those of us who are here and now." (Dan Forrest). Indirectly about the Creation, this piece for me, captures the sorrow of today's biodiversity loss crisis and extinction crisis. The piece is more about the majesty of the universe, looking at Earth from outerspace, observing the busy-ness of humanity, and calling for rest. It's also the best thing written since for religious voices since the Hallelujah Chorus.
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Thanks to Amie King for help with this post. This is such an enormous subject, hopefully we can do more in the future and get deeper into the topic. Our friends at Interfaith Power & Light have an excellent list of Creation-centered hymns. Be sure to check that out and please check the other galleries in this issue for more music from around the world.
-Chris Searles (editor)
More of my writings here.
