Singing through the hymnal: week 31

Verse: Psalm 100:1-2

Hymn: All People That on Earth Do Dwell

       
   
    We are moving into a new section of the hymnal called We Respond, which will cover hymns of praise, thanksgiving, confession, petition, testimony, and commitment. Whew....that's a lot! This week, we will begin to sing hymns focused on praise. Praise is so important. When we focus on who God is and what He has done, our hearts should overflow with praise. God created us to praise Him! This was the heart of the Psalms - the hymnal within the Bible.  Eric Routley said, "there is no greater witness to the world than the Christian life of praise."

 This hymn is one of the first that my children learned along with Psalm 100. It is a wonderful text for children!

                                                                  Fun Facts

Text: William Kethe (1561-1594)

• This text was printed in the first English Psalter
• This is the oldest English hymn we sing (important to sing it then!) 
• A Scotsman minister during the reign of Queen Mary - persecution was so severe that public singing almost ended entirely!
• Kethe fled to Germany to avoid persecution and was greatly influenced by John Calvin
• Upon returning to Scotland, he and his friends created the Genevan Psalter
• This text is a metrical setting of Psalm 100 - other than Psalm 23, it is the most sung of all the Psalms. 

Tune: Louis Bourgeois (1510-1561) OLD HUNDREDTH

• named for Psalm 100
• a devoted follower of John Calvin and the reformation movement 
• commissioned to compose many tunes for all the metrical Psalms being written
• The Genevan Psalter was what the Pilgrims brought over to America. 

Remember to order you copy of the hymnal we are singing through if you still need a hymnal!

    Things to think about ...

• Ask your children if they know another text to the same tune as this one? It was written by Thomas Ken and is very well known. That's your homework for the week.
• Read and memorize Psalm 100
• By learning this hymn and all the hymns of this year, you are investing a bank account of words into your mind and heart that you can withdraw and pour out in praise and thanks to God. 
• Stanza five is also known as the Doxology and is often sung alone as a declaration of praise to the Trinity.