Call on all of creation to bless the Lord with “All You Works of the Lord” by John A. Behnke. A memorable refrain, joyful piano accompaniment, and verses with great back-and-forth dialogue between voices make this piece unforgettable. This text, Song of the Three Young Men (Benedicite, omnia opera), is a feature of the Easter Vigil, so this piece is ideal for that service and is also a fitting selection throughout the Easter season.
The Song of the Three Young Men
“All You Works of the Lord” is an ancient canticle found in the Apocrypha and inserted in between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24 in some manuscripts of the Old Testament. The canticle is known as the Song of the Three Young Men (or Three Holy Children). Daniel 3 tells the account of these three young men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who were thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar and subsequently delivered.
The Song of the Three Young Men (Benedicite, omnia opera in Latin) was the appointed canticle for Lauds, the second of the church’s eight daily prayer offices. Lauds, which followed Matins, was a service of praise at daybreak. Fittingly, the Song of the Three Young Men’s refrain is “All you works of the Lord, bless the Lord—praise Him and magnify Him forever” (LSB 931). This canticle has parallels to Psalm 148, which was also sung at Lauds.
In Lutheran Service Book, two musical arrangements of the Benedicite, omnia opera appear. Hymnlike canticle 930 is a paraphrase of the canticle, and canticle 931 includes a musical refrain and chant tone. The canticle recurrently calls on all of creation—sun and moon, ice and snow, whales and birds—to praise, magnify, and bless the Lord.
The Setting
John A. Behnke’s arrangement of “All You Works of the Lord” is set for SATB choir and piano accompaniment. The piece begins with all four voices singing the canticle’s refrain in unison: “All you works of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and magnify Him!”
In the first verse, the soprano and alto voices begin, “You heavens, sun, and moon …” and the tenor and bass voices reply, “… sun, moon, and stars, now bless the Lord.” This pattern repeats, as the treble voices sing, “Bless now you wind and fire and heat …” and the bass voices join in, “… and heat, now bless the Lord forever.”
The second and all subsequent times the refrain appears, the voices split into four-part harmony. Between these refrains, the treble and bass voices continue the pattern of taking turns to enumerate the elements of creation: “You dews, you frost, you cold, you ice … You nights, you days, you light, you dark, you lightning, bless the Lord.”
Using This Piece
In addition to being the appointed canticle for Lauds, the Benedicite, omnia opera is one of many appointed canticles for the Vigil of Easter. The Vigil of Easter is the service on Holy Saturday when the church gathers after sunset to keep watch and anticipate the resurrection of Christ the next morning on Easter Sunday. It is an ancient practice, and many churches still observe it today.
The Vigil of Easter is marked by readings of the Old Testament that all point to the deliverance of God’s people—both in the time of the Old Testament and as a prefiguring of the deliverance won for God’s people in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Corresponding canticles to these readings are also appointed for the Vigil of Easter.
The account of the fiery furnace from Daniel 3 is one of the appointed readings (the final one, in fact) for the Vigil of Easter, and the Song of the Three Young Men is its corresponding canticle. If your church observes the Vigil of Easter, “All You Works of the Lord” would be an ideal piece for your choir to sing after the Daniel 3 reading.
The Song of the Three Young Men is also a fitting canticle throughout the season of Easter and as a song of praise and thanksgiving for God’s marvelous creation.
Texts with the abbreviation LSB are from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Order a copy of “All You Works of the Lord” today to prepare for your Easter Vigil service and the Easter season.
