For the Beauty of the Earth

For the Beauty of the Earth

By: Folliott S. Pierpoint  

For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth, over and around us lies:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flow'r, sun and moon, and stars of light:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise. 

 For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,

Friends on earth, and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise. 

 For Thyself, best gift divine! To our race so freely giv'n;

For that great, great love of Thine, peace on earth and joy in heav'n:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

Folliot Sandford Pierpoint is the author of this hymn. He was born on October 7, 1835, in Bath, England. After graduating from Cambridge, he taught at Somersetshire College in his hometown of Bath. One Spring day when he was 29, Folliot was walking in the countryside. He saw the ocean of green, the blue dome of heaven, and the winding Avon River cutting through the flowery landscape. Overwhelmed with God's creation, he wrote this poem. Originally, he intended it primarily for Communion services in the Anglican Church, but soon it became associated with the American Thanksgiving holiday. In Folliot's original version, each verse ended with: "Christ, our God, to Thee we raise, this our sacrifice of praise." Little else is known about Folliot Sandford Pierpoint. He resigned from his position at Somersetshire and apparently moved from place to place, teaching, writing hymns, and publishing his poetry. He died in 1917. 

*Friends, I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. Let us remember to be thankful for not just the extraordinary things, but also for the ordinary ones. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!*

2 Samuel 7:22

Wherefore thou art great, O Lord, God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.