Let All Things Now Living

Representative Text

1 Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the Creator triumphantly raise,
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who guideth us on to the end of our days.
His banners are o’er us,
His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,
‘Til shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,
as forward we travel from light into light.

2 His law He enforces: the stars in their courses,
The sun in His orbit, obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him divine,
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing,
With glad adoration a song let us raise,
‘Til all things now living unite in thanksgiving
To God in the highest, hosanna and praise.

Source: Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #560

Author: Katherine Davis

Katherine Kennicott Davis (b. St. Joseph, MO, 1892; d. Concord, MA, 1980) studied at Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, where she was also a teaching assistant in music. From 1921 to 1929 she taught singing and piano in private schools in Concord, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After 1929 she devoted herself largely to music composition. She wrote some eight hundred pieces, most of which were choral (often writing under several pseudonyms). One of her most popular songs is "The Little Drummer Boy," originally called "Carol of the Drum" (1941). Her other publications include the folk operetta Cinderella (1933) and Songs of Freedom (1948). Bert Polman Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Let all things now living, a song of thanksgiving
Title: Let All Things Now Living
Author: Katherine Davis (1939)
Meter: 6.6.11.6.6.11 D
Language: English
Copyright: © 1939, 1966, E. C. Schirmer Music Co.

Notes

Scripture References:
all st. = Gen. 1, Job 26:7-14; 38

Katherine K Davis (PHH 57) wrote this text for the tune ASH GROVE in the 1920s. The text was first published as an anthem and descant setting in 1939 (by E. C. Schirmer) under the name John Cowley, one of her pseudonyms. (Davis wrote “The Little Drummer Boy,” 1941, as well as many other songs under this and other pseudonyms.)

Employing Old Testament images, the text calls forth praise from all creatures and directs that praise to God the Creator. We praise God because he made us and provides for us (st. 1); we join our praise to that of the entire universe in a song of “hosanna and praise” (st. 2).

Liturgical Use:
For many worship services of praise and thanksgiving including, but by no means limited to, harvest thanksgiving; a doxology at the close of worship.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 52 of 52)

Catholic Book of Worship III #534

Christian Science Hymnal #520

Hymns of the Church #14

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #27

Worship His Majesty #78

Ambassador Hymnal #150

Common Praise (1998) #403

The Book of Praise #338

Celebrating Grace Hymnal #379

Baptist Hymnal 1991 #640

Baptist Hymnal 2008 #640

Hymns of Promise #22

Renew! Songs and Hymns for Blended Worship #48

Text

Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #560

The Covenant Hymnal #59

The Worshiping Church #53

Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #125

Trinity Psalter Hymnal #254

Worship and Rejoice #22

Worship in Song #46

Audio

Evangelical Lutheran Worship #881

Voices United #242

Chalice Hymnal #717

Hymns for a Pilgrim People #34

Audio

Lift Up Your Hearts #5

The Presbyterian Hymnal #554

Gather Comprehensive #567

Text InfoAudio

Glory to God #37

Moravian Book of Worship #448

Rejoice Hymns #63

The Celebration Hymnal #794

Breaking Bread (Vol. 39) #598

Christian Worship (1993) #260

Christian Worship #507

Gather (3rd ed.) #635

Gather Comprehensive, Second Edition #551

Glory and Praise (3rd. ed.) #706

Journeysongs (2nd ed.) #641

Journeysongs (3rd ed.) #608

Lead Me, Guide Me (2nd ed.) #486

One in Faith #895

Oramos Cantando = We Pray In Song #538

Text InfoTune InfoScoreAudio

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #453

RitualSong (2nd ed.) #747

RitualSong #707

Santo, Santo, Santo #23

ScoreAudio

With Heart and Voice #121

Worship (3rd ed.) #559

Worship (4th ed.) #636

Worship Supplement 2000 #792

Audio

The Faith We Sing #2008

Sampler #721

Include 3 pre-1979 instances
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