AN AFRICAN CANTICLE
L: Africa, bless the LORD! And all the people groups and expats and visitors and residents, bless the
LORD! From the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Mediterranean, bless
the LORD! Here let all the works of the LORD, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you BIG things, bless the LORD!
MEN: Mount Kilimanjaro and Victoria Falls, the Rift Valley and Sahara Desert, fat baobab and shady
mango trees, eucalyptus and tamarind trees, bless the LORD! You hippos and elephants and rhinos, bless
the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you TINY things, bless the LORD!
WOMEN: Busy black ants and hopping fleas, wriggling tadpoles and mosquito larvae, flying locusts and
water drops, pollen dust and Tsetse flies, millet seeds and little dried fish, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you SHARP things, bless the LORD!
LEFT SIDE: Sisal plant tips and tall lake reeds, Maasai spears and hunting arrows, rhino horns and
crocodile teeth, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you SOFT things, bless the LORD!
RIGHT SIDE: Sawdust and ashes, mud and cotton balls, sponges and porridge and golden-ripe mangoes,
bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you SWEET things, bless the LORD!
LEFT SIDE: Wild honey, papayas, coconut milk, pineapples, sugar cane, sun-dried dates, roasted yams and
banana juice, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you BITTER things, bless the LORD!
RIGHT SIDE: Quinine and OMO soap, sour milk and maize beer, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you SWIFT things, bless the LORD!
LEFT SIDE: Wild goats and honking motorcycles, buses and lorries, frightened cockroaches and lightning
flashes, mongooses and cheetah, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you SLOW things, bless the LORD!
RIGHT SIDE: Curious giraffes and bony old cows, long-tailed chameleons and grass-munching sheep,
banana slugs and city traffic, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you LOUD things, bless the LORD!
LEFT SIDE: Monsoon rains on metal roofs, midnight hyenas, feast-day drums, bus hawkers and church
bells, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: All you QUIET things, bless the LORD!
RIGHT SIDE: Candle flames, just-sown furrows, heaps of clouds, sunny fields of beans, majestic
mountains, land snails and sleeping pupas, crawling turtles, grazing zebra and stalking lions, bless the
LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: And ALL YOU CREATURES that have gathered this day to learn and be encouraged, bless the LORD!
ALL: Praise and extol God the Almighty forever and ever!
L: And so we begin! In the name of God the Father, Creator, Sustainer, Provider and Protector. . .and
God the Son, Jesus the Christ, our Redeemer, Savior, Lord and Friend. . .and
God the Holy Spirit, the One who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sends us into the world.
ALL: Praise and extol the Triune God forever and ever! Amen and Amen!