Hymn History
All Things Bright and Beautiful
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.
The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day.
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
Cecil Frances Alexander
(1818-1895)
Cecil Alexander wanted her Sunday school class to learn the Apostles Creed so she wrote hymns for them to sing that would help them learn the words and lessons. Cecil and her husband ministered at a little parish in Ireland but Cecil wrote many hymns especially for children.
When her hymns were published, she donated all the profits to support disabled children in her area and truly inspired her entire community. She wrote this hymn to help children understand the phrase, I believe in God the Father, Maker of Heaven and earth. She used things children could related to like little flowers, little birds, cold wind and other creation based concepts. She also founded a school for the deaf in her lifetime and wrote more than 400 childrens hymns.
