Now let me praise the keeper of Heaven's kingdom,
The might of the Creator, and his thought,
The work of the Father of glory, how each of wonders
The Eternal Lord established in the beginning.
He first created for the sons of men
Heaven as a roof, the holy Creator,
Then Middle-earth the keeper of mankind,
The Eternal Lord, afterwards made,
The earth for men, the Almighty Lord.
These beautiful lines were composed by an unlikely poet. One whose life would be remembered throughout the centuries, not just for the inspiring lyrics he composed, but also because of his simple obedience to his call.
Caedmon was an ordinary cowherd and was employed at the monastery at Whitby in Yorkshire, England. He was well liked among the people of Whitby, but he had a problem that often kept him from enjoying company. He stuttered, and he was so embarrassed by this weakness, that when at parties the harp would be passed around, he always managed to slip away before it came his turn to lead in song. One night, however, after he had slipped away from a grand feast and fallen asleep in the warm stable, he heard a voice speak to him.
"Sing, Caedmon. Sing some song to me."
"I cannot sing," replied Caedmon.
"But you shall sing," the voice commanded.
"What shall I sing?"
"Sing the beginning of created things."
Then Caedmon felt his stammering tongue loosen and he began to sing the praise of the Creator, lines he had never heard before.
The next day, he related his story to the Abbess Hilda and sang the hymn for her. She was amazed and told him that surely a heavenly grace had been bestowed upon him by God. Caedmon then joined Whitby Abby as a monk and dedicated his new-found gift to God. He sang hymns of creation, the passion and Resurrection of Christ, and the preaching of the Apostles. The first Anglo-Saxon writer of religious poetry brought the beauty and meaning of the Scriptures to the common people, and though only these nine lines from his hymn "Dream of the Road" remain, he is still considered the "Father of English Sacred Poetry." As St. Bede said of Caedmon, "... he learned the art of poetry not from man, but from God." On February 11, AD 680, Caedmon died and was buried at Whitby, where his feast is celebrated to this day.
Our main obstacle to becoming the peculiar people whom God has called us to be is ourselves. Like Caedmon, we have been called to declare the glory of our creator, not just with our words, but also with our actions. But just as Caedmon's tongue prevented him from singing God's praise in his own strength, so do our reason, passions and lusts prevent us from effectively answering our call on our own.
Our weaknesses and sin hinder us and constantly draw us out of God's will. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6). The only way for us to accomplish the tasks that God has set before us is to obey Him and to rely on His strength and mercy. God will not give us missions that we are unable to accomplish and if we will simply obey our calling, He will strengthen us and take us to places we never dreamed possible. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phillipians 4:13)
Let us then pray daily that the Lord will strengthen us to answer His call, and will loosen our tongues, as he did Caedmon's, allowing us to sing forth the praises of our Almighty God with our lips, our hearts and our lives.
Information on Caedmon found at http://www.oldpoetry.com/ and http://www.britannia.com/.
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