Weather Eye with John Maunder

Following the death of my sister Valerie in 2001, I wrote the hymn “There is season” (based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) which used the hymn tune “Sandon".

This was followed in 2006 when  I was asked to write a hymn for the centenary of the Otago Presbyterian Support Services called “We give God thanks for people helping people” which used the hymn tune for “O Perfect Love”.

My new hymn “In the beginning” is based on Genesis 1:1-25 and ‘The Miners Hymn” which was written following a mining disaster in Wales in the 1930s when 266 miners were killed. The hymn tune “Gresford” was named after the town where the disaster occurred. 

1. In the beginning God made ev’rything 
Whose grace has blessed us from our day of birth 
Darkness did cover the face of the deep 
Now hear our prayer for this our time. 

2. Creator God, with marvellous design 
The earth lacked form and emptiness prevailed
Came lofty mountains, and expansive seas
Ev'ning and morning made day one

3. Lord of the oceans, and expansive sky
God called the dry land Earth and waters seas  
Look with compassion and always with great love 
God saw that ev’rything was good. 

4. God made two lights, for day and for the night
The world and all within it He did make 
God also made all the stars in the night sky 
Ev’ning and morning made day four. 

5. Creator God with marvellous design 
The earth was without animals and birds 
Look with compassion and always with great love 
Now hear our prayers for this our time.

6. In the beginning God made ev’rything 
The world and all within it He did make 
And there was ev’ning with morning to follow 
God saw that ev’rything was good

© John Maunder

The hymn was first sung in Wesley Methodist Church, Tauranga, New Zealand on September 18 2022, and is available on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5AzNC2_7ZQ