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love song to the Creator has a fresh vision of God as open
to the unfolding reality of the universe. This is the dynamic
God of the Bible, giving and receiving, rather than the static,
‘the unmoved Mover’ of Aristotle and of much Christian
theology and hymn writing.
This
hymn is dedicated to the Rev. Barbara Vincent of Kirwee,
Canterbury, a retired Anglican priest, science teacher and
friend. Known particularly for her teaching in the area
of process theology, she gave a guest lecture for a number
of years in my second year Religious Studies class at the
University of Canterbury.
The
music is evocative and worshipful, catchy and rhythmic.
It conveys a sense of God’s constant and ceaseless
activity in creation. It is suitable as a wedding hymn,
where Christ is our Song of Songs.
Process
thought refers to a movement, which developed out of the
writings of the English mathematician and philosopher, Alfred
North Whitehead (1861-1947). For Whitehead, God is a verb
(‘being’) rather than ‘a being’ (noun).
God is open to change, a ‘poet in deed’. Physicists,
feminists, and ecologists are among those who have since
found Whitehead’s model invaluable in making sense
of God’s action in the world.
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