Music for Sunday Mornings: "All You Works of God Bless the Lord!" [Video]

If the music you use on Sunday mornings is what is sometimes called the “New Traditional”—a blend of classic hymns, newer compositions, and songs from the World Church, you may want to take a look at Stephen P. Starke’s metrical version of the canticle Benedicite, “All you works of God bless the Lord!” Set to LINSTEAD, Doreen Potter’s adaptation of the Jamaican folk tune LINSTEAD MARKET, this hymn makes a lively addition to any congregation’s repertoire. It can be sung a cappella or to the accompaniment of a box drum, conga, djembe, or steel drum. The refrain may be punctuated with a sharp handclap on the last three syllables of the refrain each time the refrain is sung: “…all you works of God, bless (X) the (X) Lord (x)!”

YouTube has a video of the choir and orchestra of First Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina performing a choral and instrumental arrangement of the hymn. SmallChurchMusic.com has a downloadable mp3 of the organ accompaniment to the hymn.

“All you works of God bless the Lord!” is published in three hymnals. The hymn is #313 in the Celebrating Grace Hymnal (2010), #930 in the Lutheran Service Book (2006), and #39 in Worship and Rejoice (2001). Stephen P. Starke copyrighted the hymn in 1995. Concordia Publishing House administers the copyright. Hope Publishing Co. holds the copyright to LINSTEAD. The meter of LINSTEAD is LM with refrain.

I have made inquiries at Concordia Publishing House about the availability of a choral arrangement of “All you works of God bless the Lord!” It is available on Concordia Publish House's website as a downloadable file. Or you can contact Concordia Publishing House's Customer Service Center and they will print it for you upon request. The item # is 983330pdf.