Part of what we do during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday is to re-tell the old stories of faith that assure us of God's ongoing faithfulness from creation all the way through resurrection.  For the rest of this week, we will focus on six of those stories told at the Vigil as a reminder that the empty tomb is the ultimate expression of promise and salvation from a God who has yet been promising and saving throughout all of history.

Our first story was the story of the Creation.

"God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good"(Genesis 1:31).

There are many creation hymns out there, but one of the best is "All Creatures of Our God and King," a hymn whose text is an adaptation of St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Sun,” a poem that boldly proclaims, “Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures!” The canticle praises God for personified elements of creation: Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brothers Wind and Air, Sister Water, Brother Fire, Mother Earth, and even Sister Death in a litany reminiscent of the Biblical story of creation. St. Francis’s poem reflects his deep love for nature and his ability to see the hand of God in the created world.

And there are plenty of arrangements of this hymn out there, including a noteworthy Mr. Bean sketch that my family reenacts every time we sing the hymn.

But these days, I am most attached to one particular arrangement. It is David Maddux's arrangement, "O Sifuni Mungu," which is an English and Kiswahili anthem whose title is simply translated, "O praise the Lord!" I loved this anthem the first time I heard it late in high school, but it gained immense meaning for me when I traveled to Tanzania this past summer. I listened to it every night as I lay down to sleep in my tent, with the avocado and banana trees hanging overhead and the baboons screeching in the forest. How beautiful is it that we can sing praises to God for the goodness of his creation in so many languages and across so many peoples!

So I offer you a recording of this energetic anthem for your praise and enjoyment. (And if you get up and dance while you listen to it, I promise I won't tell!)

All creatures of our God and king: O Sifuni Mungu! photo by Melissa Bills, 2011. Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.