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This is my fathers world lyrics methodist hymnal


History of Hymns: "This Is My Father's World"

"This Is My Father’s World"
Maltbie D. Babcock
The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 144

Maltbie D. Babcock

This is my Father’s world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

What congregation had two successive ministers who wrote hymns that are contained in most North American hymnals? The answer: Brick Presbyterian Church, New York City.

One of the leading Presbyterian ministers of his generation, Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901) penned a hymn with such concrete language that even children can understand its message at a basic level. He followed Dr. Henry Van Dyke, author of the hymn “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” (The UM Hymnal, no. 89), as the minister of Brick Presbyterian Church.

Babcock was born in Syracuse, N.Y., and was a graduate of Syracuse University. He continued his education at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York. After serving two congregations at Lockport near Lake Ontario and

Night Owl Theology

Scripture:

“The Lord rules! He is robed in majesty… Yes, he set the world firmly in place; it won’t be shaken. Your throne is set firm for a very long time. You are eternal… mightier than the sea’s waves. Mighty on high is the Lord! Your laws are so faithful. Holiness decorates your house, Lord, for all time (Psalm 93:1-5).”

This Is My Father’s World

Happy Father’s Week! This Sunday we will celebrate Father’s Day. This is a wonderful time to highlight all the men of faith in our church family and in our communities. I am especially thankful for all the Christian men who live quiet lives of faith deeply rooted in God’s love. Children need good examples now more than ever.

 

As a child growing up, I did not have the opportunity to get to know my father. Instead, I looked to my grandfather and the men in my church family for guidance. Within my small community of faith, I saw many wonderful examples of how to live a life rooted in God’s love. Although I did not have an earthly father, I never lacked for a father figure.

 

Many of us have complicated relationships with our father’s. The first wee

When looking for a hymn that extols the glory of God and His handiwork, one must look no further than Maltbie Babcock’s hymn This Is My Father’s World. The song presents the Creator not merely as a "First Cause" but as "our Father" because of His personal interest in man. In one stanza Babcock listens to the sounds of God’s creation and concludes that he can rest in this creator.  Another stanza reflects the beautiful sights of God’s creation and demonstrates Babcock’s profound touch with world.

The Psalter Hymnal Handbook states that This is My Father’s World fits with “many worship settings but especially those that focus on creation, providence, and stewardship of nature.” Cautious study of the text denotes that Babcock is saying that “if the Father’s children of this chaotic day could collect a glimpse of the permanent verity . . . they would feel more deeply their obligation to make our planet more nearer what the Father purposed in the making of it” (Washburn 22). In this hymn Babcock joins with the trees, skies, rocks, and other elements of nature in praise to God (Young 653). By referring to his

This Is My Father's World

Text:

Maltbie D. Babcock wrote this poem in sixteen stanzas of four lines each. Some hymnals, such as the Presbyterian Hymnal and The Psalter Hymnal include only two verses. There are a number of variations in how the phrases are arranged. For example, The Worshiping Church uses the first four lines of verse two as the first half of verse two, and the last four of verse two as the first half of verse three. There are also a number of changes in the text. The Worshiping Church and Worship and Rejoice end verse two with, “He trusts us with his world, to keep it clean and fair – all earth and trees, all skies and seas, his hand the wonders wrought.” A number of hymnals, including the Baptist Hymnal 1991, end the third stanza with “The battle is not done; Jesus who died shall be satisfied, And earth and heaven be one.”

Tune:

TERRA BEATA, Latin for “beautiful world” was originally a traditional English folk tune. It was arranged by Franklin L. Sheppard for Babcock’s text. This light and lilting tune requires bright foundation stops or instrumentation, such as guitars, recorders, flutes, or upper-register piano. Watch out for weightiness

this is my fathers world lyrics methodist hymnal

Nature as a Source for Faith and Hope

by Floyd Vernon Chandler

My Mom’s favorite Methodist hymn was Maltbie Babcock’s “This Is My Father’s World.” It became my childhood favorite. Babcock, a Presbyterian minister, wrote the lyrics in 1901. The words of the hymn suggests that Nature, or the Universe, is a manifestation of God. Babcock’s description for God affirmed my early theistic faith and provided me a sense of spiritual hope. This hymn can be found in the 1945 edition of the Beacon Song and Service Book, a hymnal that continues in use among many Universalist heritage congregations.

 This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’