Music for Creation in Christ, Year A: September 6, 2025

 Creation in Christ
A New (to us) Observance

Since the seventh century, September 1st has symbolized the day of the creation of the world in the Byzantine tradition and has been the opening feast of its liturgical year (known as the Feast of the Indiction), in parallel with Rosh Hashanah marking the Jewish New Year. Creation in Christ celebrates the ongoing creation of the world in and through Christ, who sustains, unites, and holds all created things: sun and moon, shining stars, sea monsters, creeping things and flying birds — and yes, even human beings. God-in-Christ still takes care of all things and invites us to join in as caretakers of God's good creation. (From Sundays and Season, Augsburg Fortress)

OPENING VOLUNTARY The Ashgrove arr. Dale Wood

The melody of this Welsh folk tune lilts in a way that is simply pleasing to sing. Dale Wood (1934-2003) starts with a straightforward presentation of the melody over open 5ths (perhaps honoring the bagpipes of the Celtic tradition the Welsh came from), but the last verse surprises us with lush harmonies that seem to reflect the lavishness of God's creation. 

GATHERING HYMN Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee ELW 836

When thinking about hymns that celebrate creation, this has to be one of the first ones that comes to mind. The tune is borrowed from Beethoven's ninth symphony and was originally written to carry J. C. F. von Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy." God is our light (see the Prayer of the Day) so our "hearts unfold like flowers" to sing our praise along with the rest of creation.

PSALM 148 Let the Whole Creation Cry ELW 876

I love a good metrical setting of a psalm! A metrical setting is a paraphrase of the psalm text that renders it for singing to a metered hymn tune. The text was written by an Anglican priest while the music was likely written by Jakob Hintze (1622-1695) a German composer who, in addition to holding posts as a church musician, was the court musician to the Elector of Brandenburg.

HYMN OF THE DAY Christ Is the Life ACS 927

Crafted in 1989, "Christ Is the Life" is one of the earliest texts by prolific hymnwriter Susan Palo Cherwien. She was reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship and was affected by Bonhoeffer's statement that "when Christ calls a person, he bids that person to come and die." Also drawing from Romans 6:3-9 and 14:8, the text embodies the essential form of the spiritual journey: from life, to letting go, to transformation, to new life. (From Sundays and Seasons © 2026 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.)

The first stanza develops the name of this day beautifully: Christ is God's creative word and holds the life, and death, of all creation.

MUSICAL OFFERING All You Works of the Lord John A. Behnke
One of the fun things about going to music conferences is getting to meet composers of the music we sing. And many times I end up bringing their music home with me! Such is the case with this piece.
The text comes from a canticle, The Song of the Three Young Men. It's traditionally sung during the Easter Vigil after the story of Schadrach, Meschach, and Abednego. It shares a common theme with today's psalm.
This choral setting, which calls on all creation to bless the Lord, is fun to sing and play. It makes a delightful musical offering.

The composer, John A.. Behnke and me at the
Sacred Music Workshop in Gainesville, FL

COMMUNION HYMNS
Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness ELW 488
God Extends an Invitation ELW 486
My first Association of Lutheran Church Musicians conference was held in Houston in 2007. One of the main events was a hymn festival led by David Cherwien and Mark Sedio. This was the first time I was introduced to the idea of alternating hymns.

Because of the dance quality of these two tunes, they are an easy pair - even though they are far apart in their date of origin and cultural context! We sing stanza one of "Soul, Adorn Yourself," then "God Extends an Invitation." Then we go back to stanza two, alternating a repetition of "God Extends an Invitation" after each stanza - almost as if we're using the second one as a refrain of the first. 

SENDING HYMN Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices ELW 833
The original version of this hymn had 15 stanzas!
The singer expresses joy and devotion for God, and invites all creation to join along. There is no invitation to the angels to join in, because it looks forward to a day when we join the angel throng to sing an endless chorus of hallelujahs.

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Hymn to Joy setting, Michael Burkhardt
Sometimes I like to bookend a service by reprising an earlier tune. Michael Burkhardt's setting of "Hymn to Joy" is an echo of the Gathering Hymn.

sources:
Hymnal Companion: Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Augsburg Fortress
Hymn Notes for Church Bulletins, Austin C. Lovelace, GIA Publications

Wikipedia
Creation Graphic is from SundaysandSeasons.com