Hymn: ‘Earth and All Kin’

‘Earth and All Kin’ is a hymn for Blessing of the Animals (St. Francis Day), Earth Day, or any Sunday! This hymn captures the creation story of Genesis Chapter 1.  Notice how the lyrics reflect the progression of creation (and evolution, for that matter) in the Genesis story.

“Earth and All Kin”

Lyrics Copyright 2013 by Leah D. Schade (with thanks to the original lyricist, Herbert F. Brokering)

Sung to the tune of “Earth and All Stars” by David N. Johnson

(Permission for use of lyrics in worship is granted with proper attribution.)

(Verse 1)

Earth and all kin!  Loud clapping sea waves!

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Wind through the trees, mountains and green fields,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Refrain:  Earth contains marvelous things!

I, too, will praise God with a new song!

(Verse 2)

Plankton and krill, colorful coral,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Seaweed and sponge, seahorse and blue whale,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Refrain:  Earth contains marvelous things!

I, too, will praise God with a new song!

(Verse 3)

Microbes in soil; earthworms and beetles,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Spiders and bees; ants and all insects,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Refrain:  Earth contains marvelous things!

I, too, will praise God with a new song!

(Verse 4)

Lizards and frogs, reptiles of all scale,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Eagle and wren; ostrich and penguin,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Refrain:  Earth contains marvelous things!

I, too, will praise God with a new song!

(Verse 5)

New lambs in spring; puppies and kittens,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Horse and giraffe; God-fashioned humans,

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Refrain:  Earth contains marvelous things!

I, too, will praise God with a new song!

• Are you planning to preach a sermon in honor of St. Francis Day sometime in the month of October?  Send me a message on my Facebook page by October 31, 2017, and your name will be entered into a drawing to win a FREE SIGNED COPY of my book Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit, published by Chalice Press, http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx.
• Here’s a sermon to help spark your creativity for preaching on St. Francis Sunday: Feast of St. Francis: Resurrection Sermon for an Earth-Kin Congregation
• For ideas on incorporating Earth-care into faith practices and preaching, try 17 Ways to be an EcoPreacher.
• For ways to help children connect their faith with their love of nature, click here.

Leah D. Schade is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary (Kentucky) and author of the book Creation-CrisisPreaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015). 

You can follow Leah on Twitter at @LeahSchade, and on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/LeahDSchade/.