Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
March 1, 2012

“Morning Has Broken”
“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” – Proverbs 4:18

For all of you “morning people,” this is your verse…and I will give you your just due. But I do so reluctantly. I have said on several occasions—I will repeat myself—I am not a morning person! It has always been my contention that if God wanted me to see the sunrise He would schedule it later in the day.
One of my favorite songs (a hymn actually) is a rather obscure one but was made popular in the early 70’s by of all people, a singer by the name of “Cat” Stevens.
It was actually published in 1931. The words were written by an English author, Eleanor Farjeon and was set to a traditional Gaelic tune known as “Bunessan,” and is shared with a 19th Century Celtic Christmas carol called, “Child in a Manger.” It is still sung in children’s services during the Christmas season in Ireland and Great Britain.,br /> The hymn originally appeared in the second edition of Songs of Praise (published in 1931), and was arranged by the composer Martin Shaw. In Songs of Praise Discussed, Percy Dearmer, explains that there was need for a hymn to give thanks for each day. He had made several attempts to write a hymn on his own but nothing seemed to work. Then one day in Church he happened to look at a paper his daughter had received in the children’s service. It was a poem written by Eleanor Farjeon. The next day he contacted her and told her what he was looking for. He asked her to make the poem to fit the Gaelic tune, “Bunessan” (a tune that was familiar to her). She agreed and set out to complete the task.
After several lackluster attempts—she had convinced herself that she was unable to complete the task.
She was a self-described workaholic and often would stay up to the early morning hours which often meant she was not awake at day break. It was late summer and after a rather difficult day she decided to go to bed early but for some reason sleep would just not come to her eyes. She lived in a cottage in the Southern British countryside and with a lantern in one hand and a cup of tea in the other she went for a walk. She sang and prayed…prayed and sang. The next thing she knew it began raining—she sought cover from among the trees. After several minutes she realized that the light she was seeing was no longer from her lantern—but from the sun. Morning was breaking. She looked to the east through the trees and what she witnessed took her breath away. The clouds had broken just enough for the early morning sun to break through and shine on the wet leaves. The dew on the grass glistened like diamonds and the quiet of the British countryside was broken by the song of a lone blackbird in a nearby tree. She started humming the tune of Bunessan and within minutes added the following words:

Morning has broken Like the first morning, Black bird has spoken, Like the first bird. Praise the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them springing Fresh from the Word!

Sweet the rain's new fall Sunlit from heaven, Like the first dewfall On the first grass. Praise for the sweetness Of the wet garden, Sprung in completeness Where His feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning. Born of the one light Eden saw play! Praise with elation, Praise ev'ry morning, God's recreation Of the new day!

When asked about the words—Eleanor deflected any praise for herself and directed it back to God. She said, “God led me to spend time with Him in His Country—He sent the rain and the sun. He wrote the words—I just transcribed them.” I would say that most people of my generation know this song thanks largely to Cat Steven’s contribution. It is hard to fathom but it reached #6 on the Pop Charts in 1971 and helped to propel Steven’s career for the next 10 years.
Maybe there is something about mornings after all. I just wish they would start later in the day!
Pastor J. T. Carnell