[asa] Celebration of the Creation

In some parishes, including my own, Episcopalians have begun a =
celebration of God's creation through worship and song that will last =
through the final eight weeks of the Pentecost season. We inaugurated =
this "creation season" this morning with the stirring words of Joseph =
Addison's hymn and Franz Joseph Haydn's music as our processional.
Here =
are the words:

The spacious firmament on high,
and all the blue ethereal sky,=20
and spangled heavens, a shining frame
their great Original proclaim.
The unwearied sun from day to day
doth his Creator's power display,
and publishes to every land
the work of an almighty hand.

Soon as the evening shades prevail,
the moon takes up the wondrous tale,
and nightly to the listening earth
repeats the story of her birth.
While all the stars that round her burn
and all the planets in their turn,
confirm the tidings, as they roll
and spread the news from pole to pole.

What though in solemn silence all
move round the dark terrestrial ball?
What though no real voice nor sound
amid their radiant orbs be found?
In reason's ear they all rejoice,=20
and utter forth a glorious voice;
forever singing as they shine,=20
"The hand that made us is divine."

You may recognize that Addison has paraphrased Ps. 19:1-6. One might =
argue that "faith" rather than "reason" makes this proclamation, but
one =
could say with Addison here that reason is put at the service of
faith. =
He is writing as the Enlightenment is settling in over Europe and the =
argument from design has already been given a new articulation by
Newton =
in the General Scholium. Whatever the case, the hymn, music and
lyrics, =
is marvelous, one of my all-time favorites.=20

Bob Schneider

187 Sierra Vista
Boone, NC, 28607
828-264-4071

"Science and Faith: perspectives on Christianity and science"
http://community.berea.edu/scienceandfaith/
"A Catechism of Creation"
www.episcopalchurch.org/science/
"Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations, and =
every fresh truth is received unwillingly. To expect the world to =
receive a new truth, or even an old truth, without challenging it, is
to =
look for one of those miracles which do not occur" (from an interview
of =
Alfred Russell Wallace published posthumously in 1913).

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Received on Thu Oct 5 23:01:14 2006