Songs for St. Francis Day / Blessing of the Animals (October 4th 2024)

• Online Resource For all beings without speech (Julie Perrin) Beautiful words, set to a quite meditative melody by Shawn Whelan, about our need to care for all of creation. Sound sample, and free sheet music.
• Online Resource All of us belong (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) A very simple song, with two parts that can be sung simultaneously about welcoming all creatures into the church. I especially like the second part "We have wings and paws and tails and toes and instincts and souls". Good for kids. Sound sample and lyrics. Sheet music for purchase (Worldmaking songbook) 
• Online Resource Brother Sun (Giving Glory!) (The Porter's Gate) Very cool jazz track about the glory of creation - not a great congregational song, but good to play for the congregation, who could join in with the chorus, or just enjoy listening to it at home during the week. Recording. I hope they will make the chords and lyrics available at some stage. 
• Cha697 Creative God You Spread the Earth (Ruth Duck) A song asking forgiveness for our disdain for the earth and animals. Sung to the familiar tune KINGSFOLD. The animals are largely European or North American, so maybe not great for Australians. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• HiOS022 Creator God, we give you thanks (Colin Gibson) Fun song for kids and adults. The tune is very joyful, but there's a LOT of words to fit in, so it may work better as something that is learned in a Sunday School setting or similar. "Creator God we give you thanks for those who live in nest or tank, in basket, kennel, bowl or shed, on sofas, perches, straw for bed." Lyrics (downloads a pdf)
• TiS 135 / AHB 70 / AoVK-110 / NCH31 / A&M533 / CH137 / UMH147 / VU291 / WoV767 / HPP35 / PH267 / GtG020 / CP415/6 / CP(E) 251 / W&R30 / Cha061 / Srce21 / StF100 / Lau685 / MP023 All things bright and beautiful (Cecil Frances Alexander) The TiS version has good Australian imagery. If you are in Australia and your congregation only has the AHB or other versions of the music, it is worth making copies of the TiS lyrics; the congregation will know the tune. Verse 2 and 5 have masculine language for God. Oldy-but-a-goody. The original English lyrics are a bit different (note verse 3, which thankfully is rarely sung)! VU has some nice Canadian lyrics too, which would also work for people in the USA near the Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes.
• Online Resource Huge and tiny beings / Brother Sister Creatures (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) A simple and really catchy adaptation of Psalm 104. The chorus is very simple, and I think would really stick in the minds of kids "Oh I love my brother sister creatures!". Sheet music. Sound sample, lyrics. Good for kids.
• Online Resource The Creatures We Love (Amanda Udis-Kessler) A fun, joyful, and simple song about the joy that animals bring us. Free Sheet music. Youtube.
  
• NCH032 / UMH122 / VU229 / HPP32 / GtG022 / PH272 / CP414 / W&R29 / Cha070 God of the sparrow God of the whale (Jaroslav Vajda) This is a beautiful song, but for some reason it sounds kind of odd with an Australian accent. Works especially well this week with the lyric: “God of the rainbow, God of the cross, God of the empty grave”. Lyrics.
• Online Resource O God your creatures fill the earth with wonder and delight (Carolyn Winfrey Gillette) Lovely and broad-reaching lyrics about all the animals (not just pets, but dolphins too!). Sung to the familiar tune ELLACOMBE. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• TiS 100 / AHB 3 / NCH017 / CH147 / UMH62 / VU217 / LBW527 / ELW835 / A&M532 / GA395 / HPP261 / GtG020 / PH455 / GtG015 / GC534 / GC(II)523 / G(3)611 / CP(E) / 250 / W&R23 / Cha022 / 82Hml-400 / Lau694 / StF099 / MP007 All creatures of our God and King (Francis of Assisi) A good classic sing! Hymnals vary a LOT in their translations and verses included. Using only Alleluia Alleluia or "Sing your praises" as some hymnals do, eliminates the "Oh praise him" which makes it annoyingly male exclusive. NCH has "To you, O God, all creatures sing" and eliminates all kingly language. "All creatures worship God most high" is another option. Lyrics and sound sample. Oldy-but-a-goody.
• AoVK-35 O good and almighty Lord (Hilary Raimondo) Canticle of St. Francis. Good words of the earth. Lyrics.
• TiS 715 / Srce2-112 Everything that has breath (Traditional Czech) A lovely simple round, set to the tune of "Ah poor bird". "Everything that has breath, praise the Lord of Hosts forever, praise the Lord". Would be a really nice relaxing start to worship. Good for kids. New words to old tunes
• AoV1-003 / HPP258 / GA394 / G(II)342 / GC497 / GC(II)495 / G(3)576 / Lau693 / StF803 / MP648 The heavens are telling the glory of God / Canticle of the Sun (Marty Haugen) Energetic waltz of cosmic praise, based on St. Francis' Canticle of the Sun with great lyrics "Come dance in the forest, come play in the field, and sing, sing to the glory of the Lord". Sound sample. Lyrics and sheet music sample.
• TiS 607 / AoV2-126 / ATN 95 / CH528 / VU684 / StJ / A&M725 / SFFS 2171 / HPP406 / GtG753 / G(II)524 / GC726 / GC(II)721 / G(3)828 / CP(E)519/ W&R587 / Srce 462 / Lau898 / StF707 / MP456 Make me a channel of your peace (Sebastian Temple) Based on the Prayer of St. Francis, although it doesn't specifically mention animals. Nice if you can just start a capella...  Youtube video of Sinead O'Connor singing it and lyrics Oldy-but-a-goody.
• CH527 / A&M717 / SP290 / 82Hml-593 Lord make us servants of your peace (James Quinn) A nice alternative to "make me a channel of your peace". This is sung to the very familiar tune "O Waly Waly". It is also sung in the plural (us and we rather than Me and I), which is nice too. Lyrics can be found here. Or you could sing this version, which has slightly different lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource Lord make us instruments of your peace (Don Moen) This song would work well whether you use the verses or just the chorus on its own. You can also sing it more up-tempo! Thanks to Judy Redman for this suggestion. Video. Chords.  
• TiS 671 / AoV2-121 Made in God's Likeness (Patricia Lewis / Alister Spence) "Called to create a new world for the Lord". Excellent images of rainforest birds praising God. This is one of my very favourite songs. It is not difficult if you have a good musician at the helm. If it is new to your congregation, they will be able to join in on the verses by the time you get to the 3rd one. The change in tone with the verse really lifts this song. Lyrics
• URW086 Creation sings! Each plant and tree (Martin Leckebusch) Thoughtful words about our relationship with the earth and all that is in it. One of very few hymns that connects human creatures with the other creatures of our planet, and questions our desire to control all of earth. Sung to a fairly simple tune, that will need to be sung through once before the congregation joins in. Lyrics.
  
• Recorded music Brother Moon (Gungor) This is a really fun song, which would be great to listen (and dance around) to. If you have clever musicians, they could play it. Thank you J.A.Eaton for this suggestion. Sound sample (Youtube). Sheet music. 
• Recorded Music Breathless (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) A song about all of creation's dependence and love for God. I love this song and never realised that it was intentionally about God until reading "Faith, Hope and Carnage". There's rabbits and fish and "all the earthly things". Video. 
  

I'm sure Norm Habel will have written many songs that would fit. One example, including a whole order of worship for a similar service is here.