O Father, all creating

Representative Text

1 O Father, all-creating,
Whose wisdom, love, and pow'r
First bound two lives together
In Eden's primal hour,
To these who come before you,
Your earliest gifts renew:
A home by you made happy,
A love by you kept true.

2 O Savior, guest in Cana
Of old in Galilee,
May these who ask your blessing
Your loving presence see.
Their store of earthly gladness
Transform to heav'nly wine,
And teach them, in the testing,
To know your gift divine.

3 O Spirit of the Father,
Breathe on them from above,
So mighty in your pureness,
So tender in your love;
That, guarded by your presence,
From sin and strife kept free,
Their hearts may seek your guidance,
And love you faithfully.

4 Unless you build it, Father,
The house is built in vain;
Unless you bless it, Savior,
The joy will turn to pain;
But none can break the union
Of hearts in you made one;
The love your Spirit blesses
Is endless love begun.

Source: Journeysongs (3rd ed.) #544

Author: John Ellerton

John Ellerton (b. London, England, 1826; d. Torquay, Devonshire, England, 1893) Educated at King William's College on the Isle of Man and at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, he was ordained in the Church of England in 1851. He served six parishes, spending the longest time in Crewe Green (1860-1872), a church of steelworkers and farmers. Ellerton wrote and translated about eighty hymns, many of which are still sung today. He helped to compile Church Hymns and wrote its handbook, Notes and Illustrations to Church Hymns (1882). Some of his other hymn texts were published in The London Mission Hymn Book (1884). Bert Polman… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O Father, all creating, Whose wisdom, love, and power
Title: O Father, all creating
Author: John Ellerton (1876)
Meter: 7.6.7.6 D
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

AURELIA

Composed by Samuel S. Wesley (PHH 206), AURELIA (meaning "golden") was published as a setting for “Jerusalem the Golden” in Selection of Psalms and Hymns, which was compiled by Charles Kemble and Wesley in 1864. Though opinions vary concerning the tune's merits (Henry J. Gauntlett once condemned…

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Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #4791
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 45 of 45)

A Church of England Hymn Book #528

Church Hymnal, Third Edition #240

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Church Hymns #277

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CPWI Hymnal #680

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Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #845

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Hymnal for Church and Home #162

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Hymnal for Church and Home (2nd ed.) #162

Hymnbook for Christian Worship #381

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Hymns Ancient and Modern (Standard ed.) #579

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Edition #301

Hymns of Worship and Remembrance #334

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Journeysongs (3rd ed.) #544

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Lutheran Service Book #858

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Lutheran Worship #251

Mawl a chân = praise and song #309b

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Revival Hymns and Choruses #475

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The Book of Common Praise #278

The Book of Praise #578

Tune Info

The Book of Praise #705

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The Church Hymnal #249

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The Church Hymnary #471

The Churches of God Hymnal. #d348

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The Cyber Hymnal #4791

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The English Hymnal #345

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The English Hymnal #345

The Green Hill #d18

The Home and School Hymnal #287

The Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada #350

The Hymnal #470

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The Hymnal #381

The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches #237

The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada #237

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The Irish Presbyterian Hymbook #578

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The Lutheran Hymnal #621

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The Lutheran Hymnary #534

The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes #776

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The Presbyterian Book of Praise #472

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The Presbyterian Book of Praise #472

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The Scottish Hymnal #340

The Song Book of the Salvation Army #d543

The St. Cecilia Hymnal. 4th ed. #d70

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Trinity Hymnal #628

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Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #721

We Celebrate with Song #d131

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Worship (3rd ed.) #744

Exclude 37 pre-1979 instances
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