God of the Earth, the Sky, the Sea
Hymn composed by
John HattonContextual information
This hymn appears as #25 in Singing the Living Tradition.
This hymn appears as #25 in Singing the Living Tradition.
Tune Name
DUKE STREET
Tune Name
Text Meter
L.M.
10.9.10.9
Song Composer
John HattonHymn Arranger
Composer Background information
Spiritual tags
Other tags
Lyricist Background information
Born in Portland, Maine, Samuel Longfellow (1819-1892) was ordained as a Unitarian minister and served congregations in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. In 1846, he and Rev. Samuel Johnson compiled and edited A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, often revising lyrics to meet the needs of churches with increasingly liberal theologies. Devoted partners for 40 years, Longfellow and Johnson enlarged upon their work in 1864 with Hymns of the Spirit. Noting the difference between Samuel and his famous older brother Henry Wadsworth, a friend remembered, “It was said that while Henry Longfellow was made a poet, Samuel was born one, and also it was said that he was good enough to be a saint and interesting enough to be a sinner. He was certainly a mystic.” (prepared by Rev. Norman Allen)
Arranger Background information
Lyrics
God of the earth, the sky, the sea,
maker of all above, below,
creation lives and moves in you;
your present life through all does flow.
Your love is in the sunshine’s glow,
your life is in the quick’ning air;
when lightnings flash and storm-winds blow,
there is your power, your law is there.
We feel your calm at evening’s hour,
your grandeur in the march of night;
and when the morning breaks in power,
we hear your word, “Let there be light.”
But higher far, and far more clear,
you in our spirit we behold;
your image and yourself are there -
indwelling God, proclaimed of old.
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