Singing environmental hymns

In the Bulb there is a Flower

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there's a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There's a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
there's a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
in our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

(Natalie Sleeth 1986)

All Things Bright and Beautiful

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful: God made them all.

Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colours, God made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountains, the river running by,
the sunset and the morning that brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden: God made them every one.

The rocky mountain splendour, the lone wolf's haunting call,
the great lakes and the prairies, the forest in the fall.

God gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell
how great is God our maker, who has made all things well.

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful: God made them all.

Cecil Francis Alexander, 1848)