Father eternal, ruler of creation

Father eternal, ruler of creation. Laurence Housman* (1865-1959). This hymn was written in 1919 at the request of the vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, H.R.L. (‘Dick’) Sheppard, to be sung at a meeting of the Life and Liberty Movement (the movement was founded by Sheppard in 1917 to press for the Church of England to be given more control over its own affairs). After the passage of the Church Assembly (Powers) Act in 1919, the movement petered out, since its primary object had been achievedHousman and Sheppard became good friends, and after Sheppard’s death in 1937, Housman published their correspondence under the title What Can We Believe? (1939). This hymn reflects their shared...