414

All Will Be Well

Scripture References

Further Reflections on Scripture References

The security of this song is expressed in passages such as Genesis 50:20, Psalms 4 and 62, Isaiah 26:1-6, 43:1-13, Romans 8:28-39 and Philippians 4:10-20.

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Difficult times occur in the lives and communities of God’s people because this is a fallen world. The confessions demonstrate this perspective:

  • Belgic Confession, Article 15 teaches that “…by the disobedience of Adam original sin has been spread through the whole human race…a corruption of the whole human nature...” As a result, God’s people are “guilty and subject to physical and spiritual death, having become wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all [our] ways” (Article 14). In addition, “The devils and evil spirits are so corrupt that they are enemies of God and of everything good. They lie in wait for the church and every member of it like thieves, with all their power, to destroy and spoil everything by their deceptions” (Article 12).
  • Our World Belongs to God continues to affirm that “God has not abandoned the work of his hands,” nevertheless “our world, fallen into sin, has lost its first goodness...” (paragraph 4). And now “all spheres of life—family and friendship, work and worship school and state, play and art—bear the wounds of our rebellion” (paragraph 16).

Yet, in a fallen world, God’s providential care is the source of great assurance, comfort and strength. Through these thoughts, our trust in God is inspired.

  • Belgic Confession, Article 13 is a reminder that God’s providence reassures us that God leads and governs all in this world “according to his holy will…nothing happens in this world without his orderly arrangement.” Further, this Confession identifies that this “gives us unspeakable comfort since it teaches us that nothing can happen to us by chance but only by the arrangement of our gracious heavenly Father, who watches over us with fatherly care...in this thought we rest.”
  • Belgic Confession, Article 13, is a reminder that much is beyond human understanding and so “we do not wish to inquire with undue curiosity into what God does that surpasses human understanding and is beyond our ability to comprehend.”
  • In Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 9, Question and Answer 26 we testify that we “trust God so much that [we] do not doubt that he will provide whatever [we] need for body and soul and will turn to [our] good whatever adversity he sends upon [us] in this sad world.”
  • In Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 10, Question and Answer 28, we are assured that through our trust in the providence of God we can have “good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love.”
  • When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask not to be brought into the time of trial but rescued from evil. In doing so we ask that the Lord will “uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle...” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 52, Question and Answer 127)

Belgic Confession, Article 26 speaks about the intercession of Christ as the ascended Lord. “We have no access to God except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” We, therefore, do not offer our prayers as though saints could be our intercessor, nor do we offer them on the “basis of our own dignity but only on the basis of the excellence and dignity of Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is ours by faith.” Because Jesus Christ is our sympathetic High Priest, we approach the throne “in full assurance of faith.”

 

No greater assurance can be found than that expressed in Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1, Question and Answer 1: “I am not my own by I belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”

 
In all difficult times, we eagerly await the final day when God “will set all things right, judge evil, and condemn the wicked” (Our World Belongs to God, paragraph 57).

414

All Will Be Well

Additional Prayers

Optional lament for use with “All Will Be Well”
Refrain
Loving God,
we gather in worship, offering our praise,
yet also acknowledging there is pain in our midst.
In whatever situation we may find ourselves,
you graciously welcome us into your presence.
Held in your Spirit, we can sing:
Refrain
Held in your Spirit, we can also admit
that it is not always easy to sing these words,
and there are times when we cannot sing them.
While we yearn to trust in your promises,
we have experienced the reality of lies, deceit, and dishonesty.
Some of us have been left wounded by the words and actions of others,
so much so that our voices fall silent.
For those who cannot join in the song today, we sing on their behalf:
Refrain
Sometimes all we can do
is cling desperately to these words as life around us changes.
We pray for those among us who are in transition,
those who are mourning losses, those who are sick,
and those experiencing the turbulence of the seasons of life.
[Specific prayers may be added or time allowed for silent prayer.]
— Lift Up Your Hearts (http://www.liftupyourheartshymnal.org)
414

All Will Be Well

Tune Information

Name
ALL WILL BE WELL
Key
c minor
Meter
4.5.8.4.5.8
414

All Will Be Well

Author Information

Julian of Norwich (b. Norfolk, ca. November 8, 1342; d. Norwich, 1416) was a Benedictine mystic. She was a recluse of Norwich, living outside the walls of St. Julian’s Church. In 1373, she experienced sixteen revelations. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love—a work on the love of God, the Incarnation, redemption, and divine consolation—made her one of the most important writers of England. She wrote on sin, penance, and other aspects of the spiritual life, attracting people from all across Europe. She is called Blessed, although she was never formally beatified.
— Catholic.org Bio (http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4124)

Composer Information

Steven Warner received his B.A. in Religious Studies from St. Michael's College in Winooski Park, Vermont, where he then served as a Director of Liturgy for two years. He moved to the University of Notre Dame, earning a Master's in Theology/Liturgy in 1980.

Warner joined the Campus Ministry staff at Notre Dame in 1979. Since that time he has continued to build up programs and enhance the integrity of sacred music and worship at the University. With his assistance the liturgical tradition on campus continues to grow, influenced by the presence of the Folk Choir and the liturgy preparation materials published through his office. A new hymnal supplement, residence hall music workshops, planning and celebration of campus-wide liturgical events, and coordination of musical resources for more than three dozen residence communities all take shape under his guidance. For the past decade, Warner has taught liturgical music to the graduate students involved in the Alliance for Catholic Education, a volunteer teaching corps headquartered at Notre Dame.

The Folk Choir was founded by Warner in 1980. Then a group of a dozen vocalists with no musical library, the group has now grown to more than fifty singers, instrumentalists, an assistant director, and several assistants pursuing their Master’s degrees in Sacred Music. The choir began a regular schedule of national and international tours in 1988, and recently completed its eighth trip to Ireland and Scotland in May of 2008. Their travels have taken them to New England, the Southeast, British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, Arizona and California, as well as tours throughout the Midwest.
 
Warner composed two new Mass settings with WLP in 2011: “Mass of Charity and Love”and a collaborative composition with Karen Schneider Kirner,“Mass for Our Lady.”
— World Library Publications Bio (http://www.wlp.jspaluch.com/336.htm)

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