This page is provided so that you can hear the tunes of items which we use in church. Mostly they are written by the vicar. Please note that they are copyright - we are very happy to give permission to you to use them, but we would like to hear about it. Please include any use on your Christian Copyright Licence returns.
Down this page:
- the words,
- the story,
- the sheet music,
- media player.
All the cosmos
All the cosmos
All the cosmos that you've created
turns our hearts, Lord, in praise to you.
Water heaving
in empty evening
was subdued as light came into view.
By your power,
tree and flower
clothed the earth in colour, shade and hue.
All the creatures that you've created
turn our hearts, Lord, in praise to you.
Teems the ocean
with fish in motion,
and the skies have birds to fill the blue,
and the leaping
and the creeping
fill the earth as they were told to do.
All the beauty that you've created
turns our hearts, Lord, in praise to you.
You have made it
and you've displayed it:
all the charm of mouse and kangaroo.
Cats disdaining
dogs we're training
give relationships forever new.
Men and women that you've created
turn our hearts, Lord, in praise to you.
Words of caring
and gentle sharing
show your image: faithful God and true.
Lord of living,
kind, forgiving,
may our lives reflect your nature too.
All the people that you've created
turn our hearts, Lord, in praise to you.
All our races,
our many faces,
show the range of all the works you do.
May we therefore
always care for
your creation here on trust from you.
Words and music copyright © John Hartley 2008. All rights reserved.
Based on Genesis 1.
Story behind the song
Like "Companionship", this song was inspired by a request for hymns suitable for a "pet's service" in which one could give thanks and praise to God for the pets which we look after, and more generally for his love as displayed in creation. I suppose it has the same basic theme as the well-known hymn "All things bright and beautiful".
John Hartley.
Windows Media Player. When you click the left-hand "play" button your computer should have started to play the tune. If it didn't, you might be able to get the tune by clicking here, or by right-clicking the link, choosing "save target as", saving it onto your computer, and then opening it with a music-playing program.
Please remember that a midi file of a tune isn't supposed to be a state-of-the-art musical arrangement - it is only supposed to give a basic idea of how the tune goes. Any reasonable organist / keyboard player / music group could make it sound far better.