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“All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small.” “The Lord God made them all”

Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander wrote this hymn loved by so many.  She was the wife of the Anglican Bishop of Ireland.  She was born in 1818. 

Mrs. Alexander was dedicated to teaching children the Apostles’ Creed and this hymn was written to illustrate the opening of the creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.”  She wrote other hymns to teach the creed including, “Once in Royal David’s City,” and “There is a Green Hill Far Away.”  She was generous in the extreme and used the proceeds from the sale of her works for many charities including a school for the deaf, a home for unwed mothers, and nursing care for the ailing.


Famous as her hymns were, they exploded in popularity with the publication of the books by English veterinarian James Heriott, who following the suggestion of his young daughter called his first book, “All Things Bright and Beautiful.”  After that came “All Things Wise and Wonderful” and “The Lord God made them All.”

 

Bishop Alexander was surely a powerful man, but his influence was nothing compared to the number of hearts warmed and churches filled with joyous song with his wife’s hymns.  And James Heriott would have written wonderful books nonetheless, but his daughter’s suggestion of a title made them unforgettable.

 

May God take the words and ways we offer in our lives and use them to lift the spirits of some one and to open a vision of our holy and amazing God!

1.
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

2.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.

All things bright ...

3.
The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high and lowly,
And ordered their estate.

All things bright ...