When God almighty came to be one of us
When God almighty came to be one of us. Michael Edward Hewlett* (1916-2000).
Originally entitled ‘Song and Dance’, this hymn first appeared in Faith, Folk and Festivity (1969): it later appeared in other collections such as Praise for Today (1974) and WOV. The author described it as ‘a divine and affectionate joke at the expense of man, and especially man in authority’ (Songs of the People of God, 1982, p. 100), the joke being that so many seemingly insignificant and mundane occupations and people were involved in Christ’s coming to earth and God’s redemptive plan. The hymn invites the people it addresses — midwives, carpenters, publicans, shepherds, tax-men, commissioners, civil servants,...
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Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "When God almighty came to be one of us."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed February 16, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/w/when-god-almighty-came-to-be-one-of-us.