All Creatures

1) All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up you voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain: O praise Him, O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

2) Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

3) Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
Thou givest man both warmth and light!

4) And thou, most kind and gentle death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.

5) Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

This is an old hymn. It was written by Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). Francis of Assisi is fairly well known in Christian circles. He spent a lot of time in isolation seeking enlightenment. He also founded the Franciscan Order. (Fun Fact #1: He was never an ordained priest.) Those who were in his order were called Friars. (Think Friar Tuck). There was one rule in the Franciscan Order, to follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in His footsteps. The order grew and expanded really at an extraordinary rate. People were moved by the preaching, felt a calling, and joined. Francis of Assisi upheld poverty as something admirable for clergy. In fact, he believed it to be essential for members of his order.

Francis of Assisi also had great love for creation. (Fun Fact #2: Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis to be the Patron of Ecology.) Francis of Assisi preached to the birds, called the son "Brother" and the moon "Sister," and referred to all creatures as "brother and sister."  He is often portrayed as having a bird in his hand. One particular legend involves him chastising a wolf for eating people and animals of a certain town. Assisi was able to calm the wolf and broker a deal between the animal and the townspeople so that they could live in peace. So it's no surprise that he would write a hymn that calls upon nature to proclaim Christ. It isn't unbiblical. Psalm 19:1 reads, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

While I'm not completely behind Francis of Assisi on the welcoming of animals as brethren, I do believe that nature proclaims God's glory. I think of hymns like this, and "For the Beauty of the Earth" are dead on the money. What is amazing is that Francis of Assisi wrote this during the last months of his life, which were painful. He was blind those last few months. Yet Francis of Assisi found comfort in both the Creator and the creation that testifies to His glory.