A Celebration of Creation

Written in 1912 by Russian composer Pavel Tschesnokoff, Salvation Is Created offers a meditation on the mystery of redemption. The text—“Salvation is created, O Lord God Almighty, we praise Thee”—is sung in lines that rise and fade like incense. Composed just before Tschesnokoff was forbidden to write sacred music under the Soviet regime, this anthem becomes a quiet act of faith. Its harmonies mirror the divine presence that undergirds all life, reminding us that salvation, like creation itself, is pure gift.

Charles Callahan’s gentle Prelude in C, written in 1991 as a commission for the Clearwater Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, unfolds with a balance that characterize much of his organ music. The pipe organ, often called the king of instruments, creates sound by moving air through a multitude of pipes – Each pipe becomes a vessel of wind and resonance—a sonic image of God’s creative Spirit. In the words of the Social Principles, “The world is God’s good creation in its fullness, the home of all living beings.” Callahan’s prelude allows us to hear that truth: wind becomes music, and music becomes praise.

Based on St. Francis of Assisi’s 13th-century Canticle of the Sun, this beloved hymn invites “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon” to join humanity in praising the Creator. William Draper’s English paraphrase and the jubilant tune LASST UNS ERFREUEN  give voice to the joy of all creation’s interdependence—the truth that we are one family sharing the earth. As the Social Principles remind us, we are called to “celebrate earth’s abundance and diversity.” As we sing, let our “Alleluias” ring out as a song shared by all creation.

Dan Forrest’s God of the Deep contemplates the sea’s vastness as a metaphor for divine mystery: “When simple explanations lie too deep for me to find, I rest in God who holds the whole creation in His mind.” The music flows like the tides—sometimes powerful, sometimes tender—reflecting the conviction that “human beings, non-human animals, and all other life participate in the community of creation.” In Forrest’s writing, the ocean becomes both symbol and sanctuary, inviting us to wonder and to trust.

Paraphrasing Psalm 8, Fettke’s anthem lifts a cry of awe: “When I gaze into the night skies and see the work of Your fingers… what is man that You are mindful of him?” Sweeping harmonies and triumphant “Alleluias” give musical voice to our shared amazement that the Creator of the cosmos also treasures every creature. The work reminds us to see, in every living thing, the reflection of divine glory.

Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy.

Christe eleison.
Christ, have mercy.

Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Glory to God in the highest.

Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
And on earth peace to all of good will.

Laudamus te.
We praise You.

Benedicimus te.
We bless You.

Adoramus te.
We adore You.

Glorificamus te.
We glorify You.

Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.
We give You thanks
for Your great glory.

Domine Deus, Rex caelestis.
Lord God, heavenly King.

Deus Pater omnipotens.
God the Father Almighty.

Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.
Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son.

Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.
Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father.

Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
You take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.
You take away the sin of the world, receive our prayer.

Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
You sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus.
For You alone are holy.

Tu solus Dominus.
You alone are Lord.

Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe.
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ.

Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
With the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Credo in unum Deum.
I believe in one God.

Patrem omnipotentem.
The Father Almighty.

Factorem caeli et terrae.
Maker of heaven and earth.

Visibilium omnium et invisibilium.
Of all things visible and invisible.

Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ.

Filium Dei unigenitum.
The only begotten Son of God.

Natum ex Patre ante omnia saecula.
Born of the Father before all ages.

Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine.
God from God, light from light.

Deum verum de Deo vero.
True God from true God.

Genitum, non factum.
Begotten, not made.

Consubstantialem Patri.
Of one being with the Father.

Per quem omnia facta sunt.
Through Him all things were made.

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts.

Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

Hosanna in excelsis.
Hosanna in the highest.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in excelsis.
Hosanna in the highest.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace.