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Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
Liturgy of St. James (5th Century)
THE HYMN AND ITS WRITER
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence is one of the oldest songs in Christian hymnody. It originated as part of the “Liturgy of St. James,” referring to James the half brother of Jesus, also referred to as James the Less, the Just or the Righteous (see Acts 21:17–19). A liturgy is simply a stated order of worship or a way that Christians organize their worship service. Sometimes we refer to different worship services as “liturgical” because the leaders organize the service with a call to worship, different readings from Scripture, songs, prayers, sitting down, standing up, preaching, communion, and a benediction (among other things). But really, every church service has some kind of liturgy. Some are repeated more than others while some are less formal than others.
There are several records of ancient liturgies from the early church that have survived and are still used today. This song is from one of oldest surviving liturgies we have, probably written and used around 60 AD, when Paul was writing the book of Romans! (Leeman) The text was used when taking the Lord’s Supper as we can see from the lines, “Lord of lords, in human vesture—In the body and the blood. He will give to all the faithful His own self for heav’nly food.” It is possible that either one leader or the entire congregation would sing, recite or chant the words of this text as they took the bread and wine in order to remember the death of Christ. The following preface was recited during the liturgy, setting the context for the hymn:
We remember the sky, the earth and the sea, the sun and the moon, the stars and all creation both rational and irrational, the angels and archangels, powers, mights, dominations, principalities, thrones, the many-eyed Cherubim who say those words of David: ‘Praise the Lord with me.’ We remember the Seraphim, whom Isaiah saw in spirit standing around the throne of God, who with two wings cover their faces, with two cover their feet and with two fly; who say: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth.’ We also say these divine words of the Seraphim, so as to take part in the hymns of the heavenly host. (Bailey)
J.M. Neale (1818–1866) translated the Greek text of the “Liturgy of St. James” into English. Neale also translated other ancient texts into English hymns, including “That Easter Day with Joy Was Bright” and another very old Christmas song, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” Taking Neale’s English translation, an Anglican minister and scholar by the name of Gerard Moultrie (1829–1885) is credited for versifying this section of the Liturgy of St. James, published in Lyra Eucharistica in 1864.
While the melody of this hymn may sound as old as the text, it is actually much younger. The tune is called PICARDY, first found in a book of French folk songs, “Chansons Populaires des Provinces de France,” published in 1860. Later, the famous English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) paired it with this text for the English Hymnal (1906). The slow, plainsong and chant-like melody in a minor key, wonderfully expresses the mystery of the incarnation. As we sing this beautiful hymn, may we wonder together along with the angels in reverence and awe at Christ the babe, born to forever banish darkness away!
IDEAS FOR DOING HYMN OF THE MONTH
It’s a busy time of year! Let’s be intentional about taking one of each of the four verses each week this December and put our focus on Jesus- right where it belongs during this sometimes crazy Christmas season!
Also, we are delighted you are here, friend. If you are new to this community, welcome! It is a great time to join in and make family worship a priority if you haven’t already. You may or may not be familiar with this hymn. Either way, we invite you to spend this month meditating on its truths. You may find yourself too busy during this season to get to all of the verses, and that’s okay! Here are a few ideas for implementing the hymn of the month together:
- Print out your FREE printables for this hymn. Take a moment just to read through the verses together, as you would a poem. You can also use the copywork printables for your children to practice writing the words.
- Let your crew ask questions about vocabulary and the meaning behind the author’s poetry, and ask if there are any words or phrases that stick out to anyone.
- Read about the author together (above). There is such beauty in understanding the life and thoughts of the hymn writer! When my family sings hymns together, we often reflect on the author and his or her sufferings or blessings. For every hymn, it’s like we make a new friend.
- Listen to the hymn. Play it when you are driving together, or at home while washing dishes. Try out lots of different versions from our playlist below. Let your children hear YOU singing it. There is such wonderful comfort that comes from your children hearing you sing. Even if you feel like you haven’t a musical bone in your body, it doesn’t matter… Sing!
- Most importantly, spend time reading Scripture, praying and singing along with your children. It may feel awkward at first but go ahead and give it a try. Your kiddos may not join you in singing right away, and that’s ok. It may take a few days or even a few weeks, but at some point, you are most likely going to hear your children humming the tune or singing the lyrics while playing or while you lead them. Don’t forget to connect with your children by looking at them in the eyes while you sing. And in your heart, look to the Lord in worship, submission, joy and reverence.
- Review! There are many fantastic ways to review hymns, but our favorite is using a hymn jar. After the month is over, we write the hymn title on a popsicle stick and put it in our hymn jar. We’ll often pick 3 or 4 songs from our jar during our morning routine so that we won’t forget the beautiful songs we’ve learned. It’s amazing to me how well the lyrics often stick in our hearts and minds!
LISTEN IN
You can find fresh versions of the hymn on our YouTube channel that you and your family can sing along with. There are loads of fresh versions of our favorite hymns on our hymn of the month playlist.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
When we began singing hymns with our littles about 13 years ago, we kept it simple… We prayed and sang one hymn together every night at bedtime for a whole month. Everyone’s family rhythm is different, so we welcome you to gather up your families, for just a few minutes each day, to sing, discuss and memorize this hymn (following your daily time in the Scriptures and in prayer) whether it is first thing in the morning, or around the dinner table or before bedtime – whatever works best for your family. You can let us know how it’s going by posting either a video or a photo on Instagram. Just tag it with #happyhymnody! As always, if you have any questions or if you’d like to share your heart with us, please don’t hesitate to reach out! God bless you all this month as you worship and follow Jesus together as a family!
GOING DEEPER INTO HYMN STUDY
If you want more resources at your finger tips for hymn study, please check out the Happy Hymnody hymn guide for the 2023-2024 school year. Not only does it get all the hymns for the year ahead of schedule, but you get MORE background to the hymn story, the inside scoop to the original text and compositions, discussion questions, coloring pages for every month, more copywork sheets, and so much more. Read all about it and get yourself a downloadable copy on Etsy. This is also an opportunity for you to financially partner with us in the ministry of Happy Hymnody. Each hymn guide purchase helps us to be able to continue with research and with providing free printables on our site! So, thank you!
With so much warmth and love,
April
Thank you to the Glazebrook family for leading this month’s hymn!
Happy Hymnody 