Hymn: “Let All Things Now Living” – Katherine K. Davis* (1892-1980)
Tune: ASH GROVE
This Thanksgiving hymn many of us sang recently opens with “Let all things now living
a song of thanksgiving to God the Creator triumphantly raise.” I actually like
to sing this hymn all year long, not just during the last week of November,
because it is one of those hymns that beautifully describes God in poetry that
is well-constructed.
After listing many of God’s creative, sustaining, redeeming
works, today’s hymnline continues: “We too should be voicing our love and
devotion, with glad adoration a song let us raise.”
We voice lots of songs and expressions of our love for God,
but here we are called on to declare our devotion – our promise,
our pledge, our guarantee.
Olivia Newton John had a hit song in 1978 titled “Hopelessly
Devoted to You” (from GREASE). Most of us can hum it and at least sing the ‘hook’.
For Christ-followers, however, we lift up our commitment to him singing “Hopefully
Devoted to You.”
I also like the phrase “with glad adoration” – not coerced
or forced, but gladly offered up. I am personally delighted to sing great hymns
and songs of the faith… the ones that express my adoration of him who created, re-creates,
sustains and redeems me. I know I am not alone in that; otherwise, you would
probably not be reading this blog.
This week, of all weeks, we SHOULD be voicing our love and
devotion with glad adoration. Sometimes I encourage us to internalize concepts;
this time, let’s verbalize them… voice them… even to strangers.
Hear This Hymn Sung
Hear Children’s Chime
Choir Play This Hymn (directed by Jeff Reeves)
*PS – Katherine K. Davis was also a composer of wonderful
church music and is best known for her Christmas Song “The Little Drummer Boy.”
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