Songs and Worship

We look to the God who is the source of life for the whole of creation. ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it,’ Psalm 24 tells us. We are assured that creation is God’s gift to us and to future generations. It is not our entitlement, or ours to abuse. It is in such a reorientation of our imaginations and our lives that we shall find hope.

Do we use words / songs in our services which portray nature, and people of all sorts, as God’s beloved creation? Do we use words / songs that do not reinforce the theology of human domination over nature, but emphasise stewardship, care for God’s creation and the joy of nature?

Homegrown songs from Aotearoa

Touch the Earth Lightly - Words/Music: Shirley Murray/Colin Gibson - Read this blog article giving background to this beautiful hymn. Another version of this hymn here.

Through the Wind and Waves: A Hymn for Climate Change - This creation hymn was written for A Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand. Lyrics by Silvia Purdie. Music by Cyril Murphy. For other songs from Silvia, please see All Creation Sing: Songs for Worship in Aotearoa.

Tūrangawaewae - By James Beck. Lyrics and chords here.

Ko Te Ingoa - Cindy Ruakere

Te Au Mārama - Song co-created by Aaron Boyens, Alroy Walker, Kahurangi Heta and Aaron Lyndon.

Maker Of The Sky - Brenda Liddiard & Mark Laurent

God of the Mountains - Brenda Liddiard & Mark Laurent

“All things well” and “Papatūānuku” - Natalie Yule Yeoman: https://natalieyuleyeoman.bandcamp.com/

A New Kind of Day - Malcolm Gordon writes music for the church that blends the ancient with the contemporary and bridges the divide between personal faith and social action. Check out this song about climate change.

Hold the World Gently - Silvia Purdie

Sing Praise Waiatatia - Silvia Purdie for Season of Creation 2024. Lyrics and music sheet here. A bilingual worship song, loosely inspired by the Benedicite Aotearoa in the Anglican Prayer Book, plus a creation care message. It has an all-age feel.

Contemporary songs about creation

Worship Together is a helpful online resource. You can type in key words like ‘creation’ and search for songs that focus on that theme. There are also videos that show you how to play the songs. The Worship Together website also features a list of songs that celebrate the divine creativity and power of God: God’s Creation. Here are some examples of popular contemporary songs about creation that you can find on Worship Together.

Other recommendations:

Hymns on creation

Here are some hymns that focuses on creation. There are so many versions out there from traditional to contemporary arrangements so just search for the hymn online to listen to it.

RNZ featured most of the hymns below for Season of Creation - listen and check out the lyrics here.

  • Touch the Earth Lightly (Words/Music: Shirley Murray/Colin Gibson)

  • All Things Bright and Beautiful (Words/Music: Cecil Frances Alexander/Trad)

  • For the Beauty of the Earth (Words/Music: Folliat Pierpoint/Conrad Kocher)

  • How Great Thou Art | O Lord my God, when in awesome wonder (Carl Boberg trans Stuart Hine)

  • This is my Father’s World (Words/Music: Maltbie Babcock/Trad arr Franklin Sheppard)

  • O Worship the King (Words/Music: Robert Grant/William Croft)

  • For the Fruits of His Creation (Words/Music: Fred Pratt Green/Francis Jackson)

  • Earth and All Stars (Words/Music: Brokering/Johnson)

  • Let All Things Now Living (Words/Music: Katherine Davis/Trad)

  • All Creatures of Our God and King (St Francis of Assisi)

Climate Vigil Songs

Climate Vigil Songs is a major Christian album challenging us to respond to the climate crisis as an act of worship. Renowned Christian music collective, The Porter’s Gate Worship Project, created the album in partnership with several Christian nonprofits involved in the Climate Vigil movement. This coalition is calling on Christians and people of goodwill to gather in their local communities to bear witness to our climate crisis – and take action to end it.

Jubilate

Jubilate has for more than 50 years sought to promote the use of quality words and music in worship in churches across the world. Their website has a page on creation hymns and harvest hymns. All have downloadable piano scores, mp3s and lyric videos.

Jubilate released two environment-themed hymns in 2021 as part of their new Hymns for Our Contemporary World Collection:

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, a hymn-writer from the US has a website of hymns - check out her caring for creation and stewardship hymns.

Here are some discussion questions on popular hymns and what they can teach us about creation care presented by Steven Muir at an A Rocha conference exploring sustainability and Christian faith in Christchurch in 2018.

Doxecology

Doxecology is a new album from Resound Worship featuring 13 new songs on themes of creation, ecology and Christian hope. The accompanying thirteen-chapter study guide (which has to be purchased) includes contributions from leading scholars and practitioners in the fields of environmentalism and worship, plus three service plans with new resources created by engageworship.

Check out the video explaining about engageworship, Resound Worship and the songs in the Doxecology album.

You can also check out engageworship’s version of some of the songs from the Doxecology album here.

Renew Our World

Renew Our World released a worship anthem to invite Christians around the world to join hands, hearts, and voices in solidarity to pray, lament, heal, worship, and raise our voices for the renewal of our world.

A Rocha USA Arts Programme

A Rocha Arts originated in Nashville, Tennessee in 2013 with a group of songwriters and musicians who were inspired by A Rocha’s story of restoring specific people and places. They gathered to write songs that reflected that story, and their own stories of love and care for people and place. With hymn-writer Sandra McCracken leading the effort, two albums were produced:

Both albums are available on NoiseTrade, iTunes, and Bandcamp. All proceeds benefit the work of A Rocha.

Other lists of songs and hymns on creation

Engage in worship in the outdoors

  • Worship in the outdoors can help our sense of being close to the earth and to God. Outdoor Worship by Sara and Sam Hargreaves is a resource book of ideas an inspiration to help mixed-age groups, families and churches engage with God in his world. This 52-page, full colour A5 book features space for your own ‘field notes’, plus biblical reflections and articles on how we can better relate to the earth.

  • The Church of England has created a page of resources for Outdoor Worship - while this was put together with COVID-19 restrictions in mind, it is full of useful questions, principles and resources to guide you through the process of taking church activities outdoors. Check them out!

  • ‘Forest Church’ is a modern ‘fresh expression’ of church, drawing on older traditions and practices and combining this with contemporary insights about the benefits of spending time outside. Check out this resource sheet on “Worshipping with and within God’s Creation“ by ROOTS. More of their online resources on Forest Church is available here.

  • Fresh Expressions is a website that explore some innovative forms of church to live out Christ’s mission - here they feature “Worship in the Wild: Five Stories of Church Outside”.

Consider music for listening rather than just singing

Worship doesn’t mean we need songs to sing. Sometimes it’s even more inspiring and uplifting just to listen.

Creative (all ages) worship

Worship can be enhanced by incorporating symbolic acts such as tree planting, using local water, soil, mud, rocks, timber, leaves and flowers.

In this example, the liturgy of the elements, written by Silvia Purdie for a family service celebrates the elements of creation: earth, air, fire and water - using tangible elements during the worship.

The Anglican Diocese of Auckland offers an Intergenerational Service outline for Season of Creation.

This resource is from Salal + Cedar in British Columbia, Canada but has ideas that are useful and can be customised for the Aotearoa NZ context. Their Wonder Box Curricula are designed for multi-age groups with the intention of growing children's love of God's creation. They bring together inspiration and wisdom from Messy Church, Godly Play and Forest Schools. The materials are organised for a 90 minute session and small parts can be used for a 30 minute Sunday School lesson or a 5 minute children's talk.

Psalm 65 read by some of the A Rocha worldwide family.

Season of Creation

The Season of Creation is an annual celebration of prayer and action to protect creation. It is celebrated by Christians of all traditions, and the leaders of faith traditions have encouraged the faithful to participate. The season begins September 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and runs through October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of ecology in many traditions.

The theme for 2022 is “Listen to the Voice of Creation”. The Season of Creation website has a full guide plus lots of resources to support churches wanting to celebrate the Season of Creation.

The Anglican Diocese of Auckland also offers a guide plus ideas for worship for Season of Creation.

From the US, here is a new ecumenical collection of prayers, readings, hymns, and sermon notes has been authorized for public use by the two Episcopal dioceses in Massachusetts, the Diocese of Vermont, and the Diocese of Maine. The beautiful image on the booklet’s front cover, “Earth Icon,” was created by Edith Adams Allison and inspired by Andrei Rublev’s icon, “The Trinity.”

Climate Sunday

Climate Sunday service resources - The Climate Sunday initiative is calling on all local churches across Great Britain & Ireland to hold a climate-focused service on any Sunday before COP26 (November 2021).

Green Communion

Green Communion resources - A communion service that celebrates the wonder of God’s earth.