Poetry, Theology, and Worldview among Celtic Christians (5)

Part 1: Colum Cille, Altus Prosator (5)

V
Ev’ry law and operation all throughout the vast creation,
God proclaimed and made as given: earth and waters, seas and heaven,
Flow’ring plants with seeds abounding, trees and bushes beyond counting,
sun and moon and stars high stationed, fire, and all that serves creation,
birds, fish, cattle – ev’ry creature! – and creation’s greatest feature,
man to rule, by wisdom given, ev’ry creature under heaven.

VI
From the moment God began to make the stars and skies to stand to,
all the angels greatly praised Him Who the heav’ns proclaimed then made them.
For His wondrous work of beauty they gave praise, as was their duty,
and His glory high increasing, they uplifted without ceasing.
Thanks and praise and adoration gave they Him Who made creation,
out of loving hearts sincerely, not by natural being merely.

(You can continue to sing these stanzas to the tune, Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara – “Children of the Heavenly Father”.)

Stanzas V and VI provide a quick summary of the creation week recorded in Genesis 1, with an interlude describing the praise of the angels for God’s wise and glorious work. Here we also discover God’s purpose in creating human beings as the “greatest feature” of all creation.

Stanza V: Creation
Colum attributes the existence and continuance of the cosmos to God alone. It came into being by His Word – we note that God “proclaimed” or “foresaw” creation, then made it – and everything continues to exist by the same Word (Heb. 1.3). This includes all the “laws” and other operations of the cosmos, whatever is “necessary” to serve it, all of which exist not as independent powers but as expressions of the will and ways of God (cf. Ps. 104).

Colum’s list of things created follows the order of Genesis 1: Earth and waters (days 1 and 2), plants and trees (day 3), heavenly bodies and lights (“fire”? – day 4), living creatures on the earth (day 5), and human beings (day 6). Human beings are the culmination of God’s work, and they are appointed to rule according to the Word of the Lord, that is, by the wisdom given them from the Lord. It falls to humans, therefore, to maintain and nurture the fecund, beautiful, and praiseworthy order of things on earth, following the pattern of proclamation/creation established by God’s own work (praesagmine – prophetically, or, according to God’s Word).

Stanza VI: Praise
At the end of Genesis 1 God pronounces His work, “very good.” But throughout the week of creation He describes His work “good” at nearly every point in the process. The praise of the angels, as a response to God’s pronouncement, stands in the place of those repeated phrases, “And God saw that it was good.” We can almost hear the angels erupting in praise at each utterance of that phrase.

Colum envisions the angels – all the angels, we note: the fall of Lucifer is therefore beyond the week of creation – giving abundant praise to God, as is due to Him for such a good work. As the creation increases, the glory of God increases in and through it, and the angels’ praise increases accordingly.

Colum explains that theirs was not a forced worship of God, not something they could not refuse to do because of something in their angelic nature. As we already know, certain of the angels will, in fact, turn from the worship of God to worship and serve themselves. Throughout the creation week, though, the angels worshiped God, not as a mere formality or function, but out of true love, admiration, and devotion. So should we all.

Genesis 1 does not tell us this; Colum is reading backward from passages such as Psalm 29.9 and Revelation 7.11, 12. What is true now, and was in David’s day, Colum reasons, must certainly have been true from the first moment of God’s creating work.

Stanzas V and VI: Theology
The sovereignty of God and His praiseworthiness provide the primary focus of these stanzas, with the duty of men in relation to God and creation a secondary emphasis.

Colum’s description of the creation has it utterly and entirely dependent upon God. Every creature and every operation are the result of His Word and work, His planning, execution, and sustaining power (cf. Jn. 1.1-3; Heb. 1.3; Col. 1.16, 17). Celtic Christians had a high regard for creation precisely because they “saw the hand of God” in it throughout. Because God made everything and keeps it going, we should expect to discover His glory and love in and throughout it all (cf. Ps. 19.1-4; Prov. 25.2). Our proper response to His wisdom, power, beauty, and loving kindness is to love Him sincerely and praise Him often.

Man’s primary duty, following the angels, is to know God in His goodness and glory and to love, worship, and serve Him. And this begins with our knowing God as He is revealed in His works and His Word. Only when we know God in this way can we serve Him as He intends. The Word by which God created the earth and its creatures is the same Word by which He intends it should be “ruled” by men. Thus human beings, as worshipers and servants of God, serve the creation even as the creation serves them, so that the glory of God abounds in wisdom and love.

All our ruling and serving should resonate with the angels’ praise and be accompanied by our own. Life in the monastery on Iona must have been much like this: reflecting on God’s Word and works, working in various capacities, praising Him at regular intervals and in all things.

The pattern of creation provides the pattern for Christian life.

For reflection: Creation is good, even in spite of the sin that affects it. Creation shows us the glory of God. How many different ways can you discover the glory of God and His goodness in the world around you today?

T. M. Moore

For a deeper study of creation and how we can discern the glory of God in it, order a copy of T. M.’s book, Consider the Lilies, from our online store.