Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Concordia Seminary Scholarship 5-1-2014 A Theology of Creation Lived Out in Christian Hymnody Beth Hoeltke Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.csl.edu/phd Part of the Christianity Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Hoeltke, Beth, "A Theology of Creation Lived Out in Christian Hymnody" (2014). Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation. 58. https://scholar.csl.edu/phd/58 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia Seminary Scholarship at Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A THEOLOGY OF CREATION LIVED OUT IN CHRISTIAN HYMNODY A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Department of Doctrinal Theology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Beth June Hoeltke May 2014 Approved by Dr. Charles Arand Advisor Dr. Kent Burreson Reader Dr. Erik Herrmann Reader © 2014 by Beth June Hoeltke. All rights reserved. Dedicated in loving memory of my parents William and June Hoeltke Life is Precious. Give it over to God, our Creator, and trust in Him alone. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... iii ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1. A THEOLOGY OF CREATION ..................................................................................... 1 2. A COMMUNITY OF CREATION UNITING IN PRAISE .......................................... 44 Praise the Lord of Heaven ......................................................................................... 51 All Creatures of Our God and King .......................................................................... 55 Think of the World Without Any Flowers ................................................................ 63 Nourished by the Rainfall ......................................................................................... 68 God of the Sparrow ................................................................................................... 73 3. HUMAN CREATURELINESS ..................................................................................... 85 Plow the Fields and Scatter ....................................................................................... 93 This is My Father’s House ........................................................................................ 99 Great is Thy Faithfulness ........................................................................................ 107 O Lord of Every Shining Constellation ................................................................... 113 4. THE SPOKEN WORD ................................................................................................ 122 Thy Strong Word ..................................................................................................... 130 God Who Spoke in the Beginning ........................................................................... 137 The Word of God is Source and Seed ..................................................................... 141 5. JESUS AS CREATOR WHO USHERS IN THE NEW CREATION ......................... 148 Beautiful Savior/Fairest Lord Jesus ........................................................................ 159 iv Praise Be to Christ ................................................................................................... 164 Earth, Earth, Awake; Your Praises Sing ................................................................. 169 God Who Made the Earth, Declared it Good in the Beginning .............................. 173 Isaiah the Prophet has Written of Old ..................................................................... 177 Then the Glory ........................................................................................................ 182 6. CREATOR SPIRIT ...................................................................................................... 188 Creator Spirit, By Whose Aid ................................................................................. 194 Praise the Spirit in Creation .................................................................................... 203 7. THE SACRAMENTS OF THE FIRST CREATION AND INTO THE NEW CREATION ............................................................................................................. 213 Crashing Waters at Creation ................................................................................... 224 Grains of Wheat ...................................................................................................... 236 Let the Vineyards Be Fruitful .................................................................................. 241 8. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 248 Appendix 1. THE HYMN “ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING” ............................. 260 2. THE HYMN “CREATOR SPIRIT BY WHOSE AID” ............................................. 287 3. OVERALL HYMN ANALYSIS ................................................................................ 288 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................... 300 VITA .......................................................................................................................................... 319 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing a dissertation is never the work of the author alone. Faith, family, and friends make it possible. During this long journey I have received support, encouragement, confidence, and steadfastness. But there is one who gave me his all, the one I will never be able to repay in thanks. He daily provides for all my needs, he strengthens me when I am weak, he forgives my sinful ways, he calls me to be His own, and he continually creates all that surrounds me: Jesus, My Lord and Savior. To all my friends and family, you are not two separate groups but one, to you I say thank you! I could not have accomplished this without you. First, let me thank Dr. Charles Arand. We first met back in 2007 when I could not get enough Lutheran Confessions. Since that time he has become my friend, my mentor, and Doktorvater. Thank you for never letting me give up especially when life got too tough to handle. To my readers Dr. Kent Burreson and Dr. Erik Herrmann, thank you for your friendship and the confidence you placed in me to get the job done. To my sister theologians, Krista Whittenburg and Jasmine Duerr, Kris you walked alongside me, pushed and prodded me when I fell, you never gave up on me, thank you my friend! Jasmine, the encouragement you offered when I needed it most was invaluable. To my brother theologians Dr. Joel P. Meyer, Dr. Chad Lakies, Dr. Michael Ziegler, Rev. Luke Edwards, Rev. Stephen Rutherford and Rev. Ted Hopkins, thank you! Around 2008 we started a theological reading group. Each of you in one way or another pushed me to think outside the box theologically. Our discussions have made me a better theologian. Then there are are those that change you: Dr. David Schmitt, Dr. Jeff Gibbs, Dr. Gerhard Bode, Dr. Robert Kolb, Dr. Joel Biermann, Dr. Jim Voelz, and Dr. Joel Okamoto. Each of you in one way or another has deeply affected my life. Your friendship and mentoring have not only shaped my thinking theologically, but more importantly you daily reflect the love of Jesus. Thank you! Finally, I would like to thank my immediate family. By January 2010 both of our parents died, which left a huge void. They taught us to be strong, to love as if today were our last day, to finish what we start, and to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength (Mark 12:30). My brothers and sisters (this includes in-laws) remind me of this by always being there. Thank you to each one of you. This dissertation is a result of much love and patience. It is a collaboration of all the people above and so many more. The work is far from perfect, but then perfection does not exist this side of the new creation. When Christ comes again, which I prayed earnestly for throughout this dissertation, all of us will finally see our Creator face-to-face. Until then we strive to love and care for those around us and humbly to serve each other as children that have been adopted by our heavenly Father. After reading hundreds of hymns for this dissertation, the words of “When in Our Music God is Glorified,” best convey my thoughts as I praise God. May God’s grace transcend your life into a life of faith. 1 When in our music God is glorified 4 And did not Jesus sing a psalm that night And adoration leaves no room for pride, When utmost evil strove against the light? It is as if the whole creation cried: Then let us sing, for whom He won the fight: Alleluia!