God, the Sculptor of the Mountains

In one of my summer workshop classes, someone asked me which hymn or song in The Faith We Sing was my favorite. I have no single favorite hymn, but there are few that I enjoy singing, playing, or accompanying more than "God, the Sculptor of the Mountains" (The Faith We Sing, 2060). I also believe it is a masterpiece of text and music and that it serves as an excellent example of the sacred songs and hymns in the newer style of traditional hymnody. It is one of the lectionary hymns for October 17, 2004, related to the Jeremiah text.

Background
John Thornburg, author of the text, is an ordained pastor in the North Texas Annual Conference and the author of two other texts in The Faith We Sing (2181, 2245). He is under appointment to his own ministry of enriching and teaching about congregational worship and music. He travels, writes, teaches, leads workshops, does consulting, and much more. This text was written in honor of James Kirby's thirteen years as dean of Perkins School of Theology at SMU in Dallas. Amanda Husberg, music composer, is a lay musician in a predominantly African-American Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod congregation in Brooklyn, New York. Th author and composer first met at a Hymn Society hymn writing conference and there collaborated on this hymn.

Text
The text is filled with images and metaphors for God, each one providing a different insight into our understanding of God's nature and our relationship. These images are easy to understand in their simple, direct language, taken from both Old and New Testaments. Stanza two's "God the nuisance to the Pharaoh" was originally phrased "God the fly in Pharaoh's ointment." Thornburg agreed to change it on the advice of two hymn writer colleagues, who suggested that it was too colloquial; but I confess to preferring the edginess and descriptive power of the original. Note that the structure of the text is the same in each stanza, complemented by the melodic structure. The first four phrases of each stanza describe God in metaphor, phrase five moves to a direct address of God with "You are . . ." The final phrase concludes with a petition, "we are . . ." What sets this contemporary text apart from the older texts of traditional hymn writers such as Wesley is the fact that, while both make use of simple, understandable words, Wesley's are often put together in complex thoughts and theological expressions, while Thornburg's are in short, simple, immediately understandable phrases.

Music and Style
The melody of the first four phrases moves progressively higher, with each phrase beginning a half or whole step above the previous concluding note. Phrases three and four briefly move away from D Major into F Major, with phrase four's concluding C-sharp pushing us back into D Major. The first note of phrase five begins by addressing God as "You" and is the peak and climax of each stanza, with phrases five and six moving a full octave back down to the opening tonic, and returning to the softer, quieter mood that began the opening phrase. The entire stanza is a long arch form. The 12/8 meter works well as a slow, accented triple rhythm that can be effectively rendered in African-American gospel style. A slower tempo also provides time for the singer to take in and understand all the metaphors, while a too-fast tempo may sound more like a 1950s early rock & roll do-whop style.

This is an infectious hymn that will quickly become a favorite of United Methodists. Piano accompaniment works best. Encourage some physical movement as the people sing this hymn, at least a little swaying back and forth. Stanza three's references to Holy Communion also work well as a sung table grace. Sopranos and tenors may enjoy singing a third above the melody on selected stanzas.