Sunday Singables: "All Creatures of Our God and King" (Baird Version)
"All Creatures of Our God and King" with new verses and arrangement by Jonathan and Ryan Baird, released on All That Thrills My Soul by West Coast Revival, from Sovereign Grace Music (2013)
This has been one of my favorite hymns since I first heard it as a child, continuing into college chapel services, and now as an adult hearing it in different churches. Most recently I heard this at the WorshipGod conference arranged with two new verses and parts for a modern choir.
Why I recommend this song for worship-
This song is one of the oldest hymns around. The first two verses of this arrangement were written by St. Francis of Assisi who ministered during the early part of the 13th century. His life is exemplified with humility before God, and you can see that written into this poem which later became the hymn we know today. His verses center our thoughts around our place as creatures; created beings wholly dependent on our Creator. As creatures, we must give praise where it is due, to our God. But we aren't the only source of that praise. All of creation praises God with its very existence. This song urges us to join with creation in that worship.
The new verses shift our focus off of the general praise of creation to Creator to the specific praise of the redeemed to their Redeemer. As the children of the Creator, we have a unique ability to praise God, not as simple creatures, but creatures who were purchased and adopted into the Creator's family. The last verse continues that theme as we continue our praise with longing expectation, waiting for the final opportunity to praise God before we are fully made new. All of these themes make this a wonderful worship song, filled with Gospel allusions and hopeful expectations.
Suggestions for Worship-
If you have a choir at your church I would recommend the choir arrangement linked below. It is a visual and audible reminder of "All Creatures" praising our God and King. This song works well on multiple levels. It can be done with just an acoustic guitar, with a fuller worship team, or in a more traditional choir led setting. I would recommend matching the way the song builds, from the quieter first verse to the bold final stanza. Try to avoid playing each verse the exact same way. Add some dynamics and try to let the volume and instrumentation match the themes of the verses. I hope this song serves you well.
--> Click here to download the chord chart from Sovereign Grace
--> Click here to download the choir arrangement
This song can be downloaded from Amazon, iTunes, and Bandcamp.
This has been one of my favorite hymns since I first heard it as a child, continuing into college chapel services, and now as an adult hearing it in different churches. Most recently I heard this at the WorshipGod conference arranged with two new verses and parts for a modern choir.
Why I recommend this song for worship-
This song is one of the oldest hymns around. The first two verses of this arrangement were written by St. Francis of Assisi who ministered during the early part of the 13th century. His life is exemplified with humility before God, and you can see that written into this poem which later became the hymn we know today. His verses center our thoughts around our place as creatures; created beings wholly dependent on our Creator. As creatures, we must give praise where it is due, to our God. But we aren't the only source of that praise. All of creation praises God with its very existence. This song urges us to join with creation in that worship.
The new verses shift our focus off of the general praise of creation to Creator to the specific praise of the redeemed to their Redeemer. As the children of the Creator, we have a unique ability to praise God, not as simple creatures, but creatures who were purchased and adopted into the Creator's family. The last verse continues that theme as we continue our praise with longing expectation, waiting for the final opportunity to praise God before we are fully made new. All of these themes make this a wonderful worship song, filled with Gospel allusions and hopeful expectations.
Suggestions for Worship-
If you have a choir at your church I would recommend the choir arrangement linked below. It is a visual and audible reminder of "All Creatures" praising our God and King. This song works well on multiple levels. It can be done with just an acoustic guitar, with a fuller worship team, or in a more traditional choir led setting. I would recommend matching the way the song builds, from the quieter first verse to the bold final stanza. Try to avoid playing each verse the exact same way. Add some dynamics and try to let the volume and instrumentation match the themes of the verses. I hope this song serves you well.
--> Click here to download the chord chart from Sovereign Grace
--> Click here to download the choir arrangement
This song can be downloaded from Amazon, iTunes, and Bandcamp.
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