NOVEMBER, 2019
(Click Title to Listen)
Words by Folliott S. Pierpoint
Music by Conrad Kocher
For
the Beauty of the Earth
For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies;
Refrain:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the wonder of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Refrain
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child;
Friends on earth and friends above;
For all gentle thoughts and mild:
Refrain
For Thy Church that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love:
Refrain
For Thou, Christ, best gift divine,
To our race so freely given;
For that great, great love of thine,
Peace on earth and joy in heaven:
Refrain
About the Writer. . .
Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917)
In the spring of 1863, Pierpoint sat on a hilltop outside his native city of Bath, England, admiring the country view and the winding Avon River. Inspired by the view to think about God's gifts in creation and in the church, Pierpont wrote this text.
Educated at Queen's College, Cambridge, England, he periodically taught classics at Somersetshire College. But because he had received an inheritance, he did not need a regular teaching position and could afford the leisure of personal study and writing.
His three volumes of poetry were collected in 1878; he contributed hymns to The Hymnal Noted (1852) and Lyra Eucharistica (1864). Originally written for use during the Communion of the High Anglican Church, later editions of the text emphasize the thanksgiving aspect of the verses. "For the Beauty of the Earth" is the only Pierpont hymn still sung today.
We are commanded to, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." (Colossians 3:16). Accordingly, we incorporate hymns into our regular Sunday morning worship at Pacific Hope Church. We firmly believe in equipping God's people with the knowledge of His Word through sound teaching in our classes, Bible studies, and even in our Sunday morning worship. Our worship will always be with the purpose of exalting the Lord to His proper place; it is never man-centered or seeking to create an emotional experience.
