LIFE AND LIGHT
“With Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9)
INTRO.: A hymn which identifies God as the fountain of life in whom we shall see light is “Life and Light,” also known by its first line, “Thou Art, O God, The Life and Light.” The text was written by Thomas Moore (1779–1852). It was first published in his Sacred Songs of 1816. Perhaps most remembered generally for his lyrics to Irish folk songs, such as “The Last Rose Of Summer” and “The Minstrel Boy,” he is likely best known among hymn lovers for “Come, Ye Disconsolate.”
The traditional tune (Pater Omnium) for “Life and Light” was composed in 1875 by Henry J. E. Holmes (1852–1938). Cyberhymnal gives an alternate tune (New 113th) composed by William Hayes (1706–1777). A new tune was composed for Moore’s poem by Thomas Benjamin Mosley (1872-1927). It was copyrighted in 1912 by Mrs. Lavinia Wright and appeared in the 1923 Choice Gospel Hymns edited by Mosley with C. M. Pullias and S. P. Pittman for the Gospel Advocate Company of Nashville, TN.
The song praises God for all the beauty that we find in nature.
I. Stanza 1 says that we can see God in the light of day
Thou art, O God, the life and light
Of all this wondrous world we see;
Its glow by day, its smile by night,
Are but reflections caught from Thee;
Where’er we turn, Thy glories shine,
And all things fair and bright are Thine.
A. God, through the Word, is the source of both life and light: Jn. 1:1-5
B. He is the one who created both the day and night in the beginning: Gen. 1:3-5
C. Therefore, wherever we turn, we see God’s glories: 1 Chron. 29:11-14
II. Stanza 2 says that we can see God in the golden hues of sunset
When day, with farewell beam, delays
Among the opening clouds of even,
And we can almost think we gaze
Through golden vistas into Heaven,
Those hues, that mark the sun’s decline
So soft, so radiant, Lord, are Thine.
A. We refer to the ending of the day as evening: Ps. 65:8
B. When we gaze into the evening sky, we are reminded that above the physical heavens is the dwelling place of God: 2 Chron. 20:5-6
C. Thus, the Lord’s name is to be praised from the rising of the sun to its decline: Ps. 113:3
III. Stanza 3 says that we can see God in the starry shadows of night
When night, with wings of starry gloom,
O’ershadows all the earth and skies,
Like some dark beauteous bird whose plume
Is sparkling with unnumbered eyes—
That sacred gloom, those fires divine,
So grand, so countless, Lord, are Thine.
A. God made the “lesser light” (moon) to rule the night: Gen. 1:14-19
B. He also made the stars to sparkle like unnumbered eyes: Gen. 15:5
C. These heavenly bodies declare the glory of God: Ps. 19:1-4
IV. Stanza 4 says that we can see God in the changing of the seasons
When youthful spring around us breathes,
Thy Spirit warms her fragrant sigh,
And every flower the summer wreathes
Is born beneath Thy kindling eye—
Where’er we turn, Thy glories shine,
And all things fair and bright are Thine.
A. The spring is seedtime: Gen. 8:22
B. Summer brings the colorful flowers: Isa. 28:4
C. The changing of the seasons reminds us that the earth is the Lord’s: Ps. 24:1-2
CONCL.: I have no idea how well-known or popular this hymn might have in times past. A quick look through the hymnbooks in my collection found no other instance of it in any form or fashion. However, its message is a good one to emphasize in our minds the conclusion of nature that God is the source of all “Life and Light.”