Habel Hymns Volume Three Songs in Support of the Eco-Reformation in 2017 & Ongoing Earth-Care Norman C. Habel, 2016
Habel Hymns 3 Songs in Support of the Eco-Reformation & On-going Earth-Care Norman Habel c. 2016 My frame was not hidden from you When I was being made in secret, Intricately woven in the depths of Earth, My Mother s womb. Ps. 139.15
Preface To Mother Earth my mother who gave birth to me after millions of years of labour nurturing a long line of Earth beings my ancestors in an amazing process we now call evolution. How can I ever thank my mother for her sustenance the air I breathe and the plants I consume. Even more I now realize that she has made me aware of the sacred in nature of God s presence dwelling in her midst making her a sanctuary a sacred site in the cosmos. When I listen to my Mother I know who I am: an Earth child blessed to be.
Contents Preface Introduction Hymns 1. A Mighty Wonder is the Earth 2. A Rainbow Hymn 3. A Covenant with Earth 4. Baby Earth 5. I am a Piece of Dust 6. I m an Earth Being 7. Just as I am 8. The Birth of Earth 9. Wise up, Wise up, You Christians 10. Sing with the Sun 11. Long before the Whites Ones Came 12. Welcome to Country 13. Celebrating Evolution 14. Praise the God of Evolution 15. Cosmic Consciousness 16. Cosmic Wisdom 17. Black Saturday 18. Mother Earth, Our Mother Birthing 19. Can You Hear the Singing Silence 20. Now Thank We All PLEASE NOTE: All of these songs are written to known melodies and so no music is provided. These texts are released for immediate use by anyone interested, whether in association with the Eco-Reformation, the Season of Creation or occasions for celebration with creation.
Introduction Songs for the Eco-Reformation The songs in this collection are collected to support the 2017 Eco-Reformation. In this collection I focus on the eco of this reformation, emphasising that the ekos is the home we inhabit, namely planet Earth. In the context of the current environmental crisis, we are faced with the need to reform our thinking, our education and our life-style about how we relate to Earth. These songs focus on a range of themes connected with Earth: The origins of Earth The place of Earth in the cosmos Earth as a world of mysteries Earth as permeated with God s presence Earth as a sanctuary and sacred Earth as the mother of living creatures Our kinship with all living creatures The cries and compassion of Mother Earth Our mission to care for Earth, our Mother Past custodians of country Additional songs that could be used in association with the Eco-reformation are found in my earlier work, Habel Hymns Volume One: Songs to Celebrate with Creation. Relevant worship materials and songs can also be downloaded from the Season of Creation website: www.seasonofcreation.com. Perhaps the radical change in orientation that an eco-reformation implies can be illustrated by the images found in the opening lines of a well-known hymn: Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah Pilgrim through this barren land. The time has come to reform the belief that Earth is a barren land and that we humans are but pilgrims on the way to heaven. Earth is our home, our mother and a sanctuary filled with the mysterious presence of our Creator.
1. A Mighty Wonder is the Earth This song employs the melody of the famous reformation hymn, A Mighty Fortress is our God, but focuses on Earth as a wondrous sacred place and on the urgent need for Earth s children to be involved in an eco-reformation. The message that Earth is a sacred place filled with God s presence in grounded in the vision of Isaiah that the whole Earth is filled with Thy Presence (Isa. 6.3). 2. A Rainbow Hymn In this song we recall seven mysteries in nature that correspond to the seven colours of the rainbow. After each mystery, we promise to care for Earth, a home filled with mystery. These promises are appropriate for our involvement in an eco-reformation. The melody chosen is Morning Has Broken. An exploration of these mysteries in nature is found in my book, Rainbow of Mysteries: Meeting the Sacred in Nature (Woodlake, 2012). 3. A Covenant with Earth This song is a call from Mother Earth not only to hear her cries of agony because of human destruction, but also to recognise that God became a piece of Earth in Jesus Christ and that we should make a covenant with Earth to rejuvenate our planet. The melody chosen is The Lord s My Shepherd. 4. Baby Earth In this song we re-live the cosmic story of the origin of Earth commencing with an impulse before the Big Bang that stirred the birth of a planet that we now call Earth, or in this song, Baby Earth. The melody chosen is The Lord s My Shepherd. 5. I am a Piece of Dust In this song we hear the voice of Earth relating the story of her identity, a planet that was once but a piece of cosmic dust, but which became a vibrant living domain filled with mysteries and amazing living figures like forests and fairy wrens. The melody chosen is Nearer My God to Thee.
6. I m An Earth Being In this song I identity who I am, an Earth being, a child of Mother Earth. As an Earth child I am blessed by the moisture flowing from my Mother, by the breezes I breathe to keep me alive and the pulse of my Mother deep in my soul. The melody chosen is Morning Has Broken. The biblical tradition that celebrates our birth deep in the womb of Mother Earth is found in Ps. 139.15. 7. Just as I am This song explores not only my identity as a child of Mother Earth, but also my connection with the cosmos, a reality revealed through the science of ecology and a mystery to be celebrated as a gift of grace. The melody chosen is Just as I am Without one Plea. 8. The Birth of Earth This song is based on an ecological reading of Genesis One in which Earth is a formless embryo in the deep until the third day when God speaks. God does not say, Let there be Earth but rather Let the waters part/burst so that Earth can appear and be born. Then at God s word, Earth comes alive with green vegetation. The melody chosen is Silent Night. 9. Wise Up, Wise Up, You Christians In this song, Christians are summoned to be wise like Joseph in ancient Egypt and prepare for the outcome of global warming among human beings who depend on the garden planet for their survival. The melody chosen is Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus. 10. Sing with the Sun This song echoes the cry of the Psalmist in Ps 148 when all domains of creation are called upon to praise the Lord. In this song we are encouraged to join all of these domains to celebrate creation and keep our planet clean. The melody chosen is Christ is Alive. An alternate melody is In Christ there is no East or West.
11. Long, Long Before the White Ones Came This song affirms the role and faith of the Aboriginal custodians who cared for country for centuries before the white settlers arrived. They knew how to read the landscape and discern the spiritual long before missionaries brought the Scriptures. An eco-reformation also calls for reconciliation with these custodians of country. The melody chosen is The Doxology. 12. Welcome to Country In this song, Country refers especially to the sacred domain to which each Aboriginal people believes it belongs. Country is now calling all peoples, whether Aborigines or settlers, to hear her story of celebration, suffering and hope. The melody chosen is Morning Has Broken. 13. Celebrating Evolution An eco-reformation summons us to celebrate the impulse of evolution that has created a cosmos filled with mystery and majesty, a cosmos in which our planet is a sacred wonder to be embraced and enjoyed. The melody chosen is The Battle Hymn of the Republic. 14. Praise the God of Evolution Once we begin to resonate with the deep and wondrous impulses of evolution, we are led to appreciate an even deeper impulse behind the whole process, the impulse we call God. This song celebrates that Impulse in, with and under the process of evolution. The melody chosen is Praise, my Soul, the King of Heaven. 15. Cosmic Consciousness Ecology has helped us appreciate not only our inter-connection with all living things and domains on planet Earth, but also the amazing connection we have with entire cosmos. A deep awareness of that connection may be designated cosmic consciousness. The melody chosen is The Lord s My Shepherd.
16. Cosmic Wisdom A close examination of how the wise, the ancient scientists of the Wisdom School, observed and interpreted creation, reveals an appreciation of Wisdom as a natural force. This force is discerned in three realms: as God s blueprint for creation (Proverbs 8), as an innate force in the laws of nature (Job 28.23-27) and as a driving force innate in living things (Job 39.26). For a study of this tradition see my volume Discerning Wisdom in Nature: Following the Way of Ancient Scientists (Morning Star Publishing, 2015). The melody chosen is Praise my Soul the King of Heaven. 17. Black Saturday One of the most traumatic days for many Australians was Black Saturday when an overwhelming bushfire destroyed hundreds of homes in the State of Victoria in a way never seen before. Whether global warming contributed to the fire may be debated. The question raised by this song is God s involvement in that day. The melody chosen is Amazing Grace. 18. Mother Earth, our Mother Birthing This song was already printed in Habel Hymns Volume One, but it has been a standard song for celebrating creation, especially on St Francis of Assisi Day. The song celebrates Mother Earth, Sister Air, Brother Water and Father Fire in a way that consistent with the spirit of an eco-reformation. The melody chosen is Praise my Soul, the King of Heaven. 19. Can You Hear the Singing Silence Those who resonate with the mysteries of Mother Earth may experience the joy of listening to the symphony of nature. This song invites us to listen to the symphony of Earth and to sing along with the music of creation that surrounds us. The melody chosen is Brother, Let me Be Your Servant. 20. Now Thank We All This song is an eco-revision of the traditional hymn Now Thank We All Our God. As such it is designed to raise our awareness of the need to preserve our planet being acutely aware of the harm caused by human greed. The song also reflects the intimate relationship of God with Earth.
1. A Mighty Wonder C. Norman Habel, 2015 Melody: A Mighty Fortress A mighty wonder is our Earth, A planet filled with mystery, And all across her vibrant face We read her cosmic history. How long long ago A drive from below Turned one speck from space Into a sacred place; This planet has no equal. God s presence fills this sacred space, That nurtures our beginning; But children of our Mother Earth, Have revelled in their sinning; They clear forest land, With a heavy hand; Polluting the skies, With ugly greedy eyes; Their crimes go on forever. The time has come for true reform, By children who are caring: Replace your love for ruling Earth With empathetic sharing. By loving God s Son, The wise Wounded One; By healing the Earth, Is giving her new birth; We celebrate our planet.
2. A Rainbow Hymn C. 2010 Norman Habel Melody: Morning Has Broken Red is the fire of God s holy presence, Filling with life the planet we share: Here is our vow to hold the Earth sacred, Tend it with love and covenant care. Orange the clay that makes us all mortal, Filled with God s breath since humans were born, Given a mission: treat Earth as partner! Now we affirm that calling once more. Yellow, like gold, means all things are precious, Each with a right to sing and be free. This is our pledge to hold all that s living, Valued as part of Earth s majesty. Green pluses flow through veins of creation, Til humans clear great forests in seed. This is our promise: keep all things growing, We will reverse our violent greed. Blue is the song felt deep in the ocean, Blues are the groaning deep in the sand. Now with our souls we promise to listen, Publicly give a voice to the land. Indigo sounds a signal for danger: Refugees facing drought and despair; Here we respond as climates are changing We will take steps, find ways to prepare. Violent announces Christ in the cosmos, Holding our Earth in all of its pain. Christ now invites us; join in my mission! Cov nant with me to heal Earth again.
3. The Covenant with Earth C. 2011 Norman Habel Melody: The Lord s My Shepherd We hear the call of planet Earth To come back home and see The living presence of our God In soil and sky and sea. We hear the call of Mother Earth To feel her cries of pain, The way pollution chokes her breath And toxins burn her brain. We hear the call of Christ again To celebrate the news That Christ, the cosmic mystery, Can heal creation s blues. For God became a piece of Earth, Incarnate in the Son, To reconcile a broken world And make creation one. We hear the call from deep within To follow God s own cue To make a covenant with Earth And to her soul be true. And with this covenant we make A promise bold and free To heal and care for Mother Earth, Alive with mystery.
4. Baby Earth Tune: The Lord s My Shepherd C. 2009 Norman Habel An Impulse deep in time and space Once yearned for all to be; A Spirit in this universe Once set the cosmos free, That Impulse caused a big big bang, A cosmic womb gave birth: An embryo of rocks and gas; We call her Baby Earth. Caressed by years of light and time, The breath of God above, An energy emerged in Earth: The sign of life and love. The Impulse stirring deep within Helped baby Earth to be, A vibrant planet filled with song, A blue-green mystery. From deep within the veins of Earth Evolved new living forms, Giraffe and deer and dinosaur, Gold fish and baby worms. Just how amazing is this gift To live in time and space And through the smile of Baby Earth To see God s cosmic face.
5. I am a Piece of Dust C. 2013 Norman Habel Melody: Nearer my God to Thee I am a piece of dust, flung from the sky, Yes, I m your planet Earth, please hear my cry: Come claim this mystery, Of who you are, Children of mother Earth, Born of a star. I am a myrtle tree, stately and strong, Now with my forest friends, I sing this song: Come taste the mystery Deeper than birth. We have evolved to be Partners on Earth I am a fairy wren, close to the ground, Deep from the soil below, I hear this sound: Come feel the mystery, Where breezes blow, We have evolved from earth, In soil we grow.. We are the desert ants, stirring the sand, Hoping that human minds might understand: We know a mystery Hidden within, Wisdom evolved with us; We are your kin. I am the coral reef, live on your coast Pulsing with crabs and krill, I hear them boast: Come play with mystery Here in the sea; You have evolved from us; Now you are free.
6. I m an Earth Being c. 2010 Norman Habel Melody: Morning has Broken Born of this planet, I m an Earth being, Born of this planet, I m an Earth child. One with all beings, born of this planet, I m an Earth being, one with the wild. Born of this planet, baptised with moisture, I m an Earth being, blessed by her rains; Rising from oceans, flowing through rivers, Earth s sacred waters pulse through my veins. Born of this planet, flowing with breezes, Children inhale Earth s infinite breath; Earth s holy breathing enters my body, Creating a presence deeper than death. Born of this planet, one speck of stardust, We feel the pulsing deep in our soul, Myst ry like music throbs in the landscape, Earth our true mother, makes our life whole.
7. Just as I am c. 2012 Norman Habel Melody: Just as I am without one Plea Just as I am, by Earth defined, And born to have a searching mind And longing in my head to find The mystery I am, I am! Just as I am, evolved to be, A human with a sense to see A consciousness of mystery, I wonder who I am, I am! Just as I am, in my small place, I m now aware of cosmic space, A precious life, a gift of grace To be just as I am, I am! Just as I am, connected free With suns in every galaxy, With matter dark and gravity, A cosmic child I am, I am! Just as I am, I sense once more An impulse deep within our core, A force that makes my spirit roar, A mystery I am, I am!
8. The Birth of Earth (Based on Genesis 1) C. Norman Habel Melody: Silent Night Silent breath, holy breath, Floating o er infant Earth. Deep in waters dark she lies, Waiting from the womb to rise, Waiting for the dawn. Waiting for the dawn. Silent word, holy word, Impulse rising deep in God: Change the deep and dark of night, Time has come for life and light. Welcome to the dawn! Welcome to the dawn! Silent cry, holy cry, Breaking forth from the sky: Let the primal waters part! Let the primal birthing start! Let the waters burst! Let the waters burst! Silent word, holy word Surging forth from our God: Let the infant Earth appear, Let her features all be clear! Let my child be born! Let my child be born! Silent breath, holy breath, Stirs the soul deep in Earth, Giving birth to glistening green, Forest tree and garden bean. Baby Earth s a live! Baby Earth s alive.
Silent love, holy love, From the mid-wife we call God, Crying when she sees her child, Very good and very wild: She is beautiful! She is beautiful!
9. Wise Up, Wise Up, You Christians (Amid Global Warming) C. 2008 Norman Habel Melody: Stand up, Stand up for Jesus Wise up, wise up, you Christians Whose eyes are heaven bound, God made us first in Eden To serve and love the ground, To work with God, the Gard ner, Whose breath in ev rything Brings life and hope and blessing And makes our planet sing. Be wise, be wise like Joseph, Before those years of drought, That curse of global warming, Turns human faith to doubt. Plan now to feed the hungry A flood of refugees, And share our garden planet With ev ry life in need. Connect with Christ the Healer, Whose love fills land and sea, That breathing pulsing presence In soil and stream and tree. Unite with Christ in healing The wounds of planet Earth Until creation s groaning Becomes a song of birth.
10. Sing with the Sun C. 2008 Noman Habel Melody: Christ is Alive Sing with the sun, the king above, Assigned by God to rule the skies, Dispensing justice with the light On rich and poor, on fools and wise. Join with a choir of finch and dove, Sing praises for the rising sun, All celebrating with the dawn, The presence of the Risen One. Sing with the sun whose burning fire Surrounds our God when high above, But reaches humans far below In golden streams of warmth and love. Sing with the ferns and forest fronds, Accepting light that keeps leaves green, Imploring God to now make sure That humans keep this planet clean. Sing as the sundial reads the sun, Recalling that sad fateful day When darkness blocked the light above And God s own son then passed away. Join with our kin the kangaroo Who dine in peace as suns turn red, And share with them and Christ our Lord The gift of life and breaking bread. Sing with the sun in light-year time, Exploding in from outer space, A blazing gift from God on high That once broke through in Jesus face.
11. Long Long Before the White Ones Came C. 2000 Norman Habel & Bill Coolburra Melody: The Doxology Long, long before the whites ones came, Long, long before they stole our home, Our God imparted sacred law, To live within each heart and stone. Long, long before the shepherds came, To clear this land and tear her skin, We cared for her, sustained her life And all her creatures were our kin. Long, long before the missions came To give us Scripture from above, We read the landscape here below And knew that Mother Earth was love. Come, Rainbow Spirit, rise and sing, As once you did in Christ, your Son, Sing, sing this land to life again Until our land and lives are one.
12. Welcome to Country C. 2012 Norman Habel Melody: Morning Has Broken Welcome to country! Country is calling, Calling from scrub and watering hole; Sense now the sacred spirit of country, Stirring the silence deep in your soul. Country is calling! Know in your spirit, Land is alive and blessed you at birth. Celebrate now the song of your mother: You are a precious child born of Earth. Country is crying, crying in anguish, Landscapes and lizards feeling the pain, Forests destroyed and rivers polluted, When will you care for country again? Country is calling, stirring your dreaming, Songs that our primal ancestors song. Spinning through time and all of creation, Dreaming returns with God s boomerang. Country is calling! Christ at the centre, Calling for healing, holds out his hand: Reconciled true each brother and sister, Come now and heal our mother, the land.
13. Celebrating Evolution C. 2012 Norman Habel Melody: Battle Hymn of the Republic Sun clouds call across the laughing mountain face, Night birds whisper to a searching human race, Wild stars echo from a galaxy in space: We re all one mystery. Come and see your world revolving. Come, discern your kin evolving. Come and sense your doubt dissolving. O God, what s coming now? Star dust spins around explosions very high, One piece settles as a planet in our sky, Earth beings celebrate and still wonder why: We re all one mystery. Come and see you sun revolving. Come, discern the Earth evolving. Come and sense your doubt dissolving. O God, what s coming now? Tidbits of matter on a planet we call Earth, Evolved into life forms who know how to birth, Breathing and dancing and celebrating worth: We re all one mystery! Come and see the Earth revolving. Come, discern this life evolving. Come and sense your doubt dissolving. O God, what s coming now?
14. Praise the God of Evolution C. 1999 Norman Habel Melody: Praise my Soul the King of Heaven Praise the God of evolution, Spinning stars through time and space, Turning matter into music, Symphonies of cosmic grace. Celebrate your evolution! Join the chorus of the skies. Praise the God of evolution, Turning light bursts into years, Making gravity a partner In the dance of solar spheres. Celebrate your evolution! Thank the stars for gravity. Praise the God of evolution, Swirling planets left and right, Waiting for that special moment When ourt came in sight. Celebrate your evolution! Hail the birth of baby Earth. Praise the God of evolution, Stirring oxygen with love, Turning gases into waters, Wombs in tune with light above. Celebrate your evolution! Breathe the air of life itself. Praise the God of evolution, Forming embryos to view, Turning molecules to mammals, Birthing lives like me and you. Celebrate your evolution! Join the song of life on Earth.
15. Cosmic Consciousness C. Norman Habel Melody: The Lord s my Shepherd There s more to sense in this vast world Than touch or taste or feel; A deep and delving consciousness That questions what is real. We re conscious of the selves we are, Among all human minds, But deeper than our mental dreams A cosmic whirl unwinds. From deep within the cosmic soul An impulse rises high, To stir my deepest consciousness, The latent cosmic I. A dreaming may connect my soul With choirs of country kin, But evolution now reveals I am when all begins. There s more to God than meets the eye, A mystic cosmic first; From deep within my consciousness I sense a cosmic Christ.
16. Cosmic Wisdom C. 2014 Norman Habel Melody: Praise my Soul the King of Heaven Wisdom has a secret message: Do you know where I am found? Can you find the deepest myst ry In the sky or underground? Listen to the voice of Wisdom Calling us to find her place. Wisdom is the primal blueprint, There before the world began, Chosen by a cool Creator To design the cosmic plan. Listen to the voice of Wisdom Call before the first Big Bang. Wisdom is a silent impulse Hidden deep in nature s law, Guiding wind and cloud and weather Making ripples on the shore. Listen to the voice of Wisdom Calling us to feel her pulse. Wisdom fills the world with wonder, Time and space with wild surprise, Guiding gentle genes through hist ry, Spinning stars across the skies. Listen to the voice of Wisdom. In and under ev rything. I am Wisdom, I am wonder, I was at creation s birth. Now I m calling you to listen To the cries of Baby Earth. Listen to the voice of Wisdom, Mid-wife of our precious Earth.
17. Black Saturday C. 2009 Norman Habel Melody: Amazing Grace Amazing flames that scorch the sky, Like hurricanes of fire, Alive with eucalyptus oil, Are roaring higher and higher. Those swirling balls of oil ablaze, That leap o er trees at will, Descend on fields and flocks and homes, Explode and burn and kill. Where s God in all this swirling ash? Where s God in all this pain? Awaiting somewhere in the sky To one day send some rain? The face of God is burnt and black; The hands of God are red! The God we know in Jesus Christ Is bleeding with the dead. Is this, O God, the shock we need, To face our life ahead, Adjusting to a Greenhouse Age When we must share our bread? Christ, show us now your hands and feet, The burns across your side And how you suffer with the Earth, By fires crucified!
18. Mother Earth, Our Mother Birthing C. 1999 Norman Habel Melody: Praise my Soul, the King of Heaven Mother Earth, our mother birthing Ev ry creature from the ground, Jesus too was flesh and breathing, Kin to all that s green and brown. Celebrate with all creation: God has joined the web of life. Sister Air, our sister lifting Ev ry creature born with wing; Jesus shared the breath of forests, Breath that makes our spirits sing. Celebrate with all creation: God has joined the web of life. Brother Water, brother pulsing Deep through ev ry vein and sea, Jesus drank the very raindrops For our wine and in our tea. Celebrate with all creation: God has joined the web of life. Father Fire, our father burning With the sacred urge to live. Jesus death competes the cycle, Bringing life beyond the grave. Celebrate with all creation: God has joined the web of life.
19. Can You Hear the Singing Silence C. 1999 Norman Habel Melody: Brother, Let me Be Your Servant Can you hear the singing silence Deep within the forest night? Can you hear her fragile creatures Hold the harmonies of life? Refrain Will you come and play your spirit, Play in tune with life on Earth? Sing your soul and play your spirit In the symphony called Earth! Can you hear the cricket s chorus Playing on vibrating strings? Can you hear the winds vibrating At the tips of eagle s wings? Can you hear the Earth, our mother, Groaning when we sing off key, Hoping that her human children Heal her broken harmony? Can you hear the live Creator Making music ev ry day, Blessing ev ry clod and creature With the breath on life to play? Can you hear the desert laughing? Rain is dancing on her dust! Can your hear the beat of gum nuts Bursting open, bushfire blessed?
20. Now Thank we All C. 1991 Norman Habel Melody: Now Thank we All Our God Now Thank we all our God, In whom this Earth rejoices, For creatures great and small Who now have lost their voices, And species calling us Before they disappear, To love this fragile Earth That God would have us share. O may this bounteous God In ev ry tree be near us To help us feel the pain Of barren lands so cheerless, Where once like Eden fresh, Wild birds in freedom flew To celebrate a land, Where life rose crystal new. All praise and thanks to God, Our Father, now be given, Who kept alive on Earth, This tribe of greedy humans, Who sent an only son To suffer earthly pain, That cosmic ill and death Should never rule again. O Spirit from the land Rise up like sacred leaven To free us from the ills Polluting Earth and heaven; Inspire us with the drive To be like healing rain Renewing life on Earth And praising God again.
BACK COVER CELEBRATING WITH CREATION Praise the Lord from the Earth, You sea monsters and all deeps, Fire and hail, snow and frost, Stormy wind fulfilling his command. Mountains and all hills. Fruit trees and all cedars, Beasts and all cattle, Creeping things and all birds. Ps. 148.7-10