When I was a
child, a popular hymn in Church of England circles was William Blake’s poem:
And did
those feet in ancient time.
Walk upon
England’s mountains green:
And was the
holy Lamb of God,
On England’s
pleasant pastures seen!
And did the
Countenance Divine,
Shine forth
upon our clouded hills?
And was
Jerusalem builded here,
Among these
dark Satanic Mills?
(Satanic
mills, a reference to the industrial revolution)
Of course,
the answer was: “No, He didn’t.” But the majestic music that accompanied it, composed
by Hubert Parry in 1916, was soul-stirring, making you believe England was specially
blessed by God and consequently, no other country could ever match Great
Britain.
To further deepen
the patriotic spirit, the Promenade Concerts of classical music, held at the Royal
Albert Hall every year, would end with this song set to Edward Elgar’s soaring music,
everyone in attendance singing it with gusto.
When Britain
fi-i-irst, at heaven's command,
Aro-o-o-o-ose
from out the a-a-a-zure main,
Arose, arose from
out the azure main,
This was the
charter, the charter of the land,
And guardian
a-a-angels sang this strain:
Rule Britannia!
Britannia rule
the waves
Britons never,
never, never shall be slaves.
Of course, England, being an island, is
usually green, blessed by frequent rain from the surrounding oceans, but its
ability to rule the waves, and the prominence it assumed for itself, has been
severely dashed by history.
Last night saw another heavy rain, much of the
wet stuff lathering Lethbridge during June. As I look out of my study window,
this small Canadian city is certainly a green and pleasant land; which reminds
me that God’s grace is not confined to the British Isles, or even Canada.
This Canada Day weekend, is a time to celebrate
with gratitude God’s goodness to this country of ours. Even if few acknowledge
Him or His handiwork evident around us:
We will praise the Lord.
