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August 2009, Page 2.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(August 2009)
Swine Flu,
Song,
God's name?
Sanctification?
More bishops?
The heavens are telling
The heavens are telling God's glory,
the cosmos declares he's amazing,
for the days and the nights
frame his story in lights,
and all his creation is praising,
and all his creation is praising.
The stars in the firmament dwelling,
so high above all things domestic,
fill the silence, proclaiming
and telling his name,
declaring that God is majestic,
declaring that God is majestic.
The sun like a bridegroom emerges,
with light in an instant transforming:
like a man sprung from boy,
forth it surges in joy,
and nothing's untouched by its warming,
and nothing's untouched by its warming.
The glory of God they're declaring,
is far beyond man's verbal mumble.
For their speech is divine
and they share by design:
their voice is discerned by the humble,
their voice is discerned by the humble.
On earth what will be my reaction?
Forgive all my faults by your cleaning.
Keep your servant from sin,
halt its action within,
may my meditations be pleasing,
O Lord God, my Rock, my Redeeming.
Words and music copyright © John Hartley 2008. All rights reserved.
Based on Psalm 19:1-6 & 12-14.
The tune is on our web site.
At this time of year the glorious early mornings are spectacular, and they speak of God’s amazing nature. I’ve always loved "The heavens are telling the glory of God" from Haydn’s Creation, which sets Psalm 19 to music - but its polyphonic style means it won't do for a standard hymn to be sung by congregations in church services.
However, the story behind this hymn is that I wrote the first verse as a prelude to trying to set the middle part of the psalm to music. Verses 7-11 talk of the various ways that the Law of the Lord speaks to us, how it is sweeter than honey and more precious than gold and so on. As I began to write I realized that the whole psalm would be too long for a hymn.
In Peake's Commentary on the bible there is a discussion about whether the Psalm may originally have been two quite separate compositions? I don’t know about that, but v1-6 and 12-14 make a good self-contained point. Creation tells me of a great and powerful God. What will be my reaction? To borrow a verse from St Paul, isn’t God’s kindness meant to lead me to repentance? If God can make such a brilliant universe, couldn’t I ask him to improve me too?
John Hartley