Coffeyville, Kan., celebrates holiday by sharing Space Force Hymn written there

Millions of Americans can rest more safely with a watchful eye expanding in space. For Coffeyville in southern Kansas, residents have the distinction of being connected to the hymn “Creator of the Universe,” which also is known as “The Space Force Hymn.”

A 2020 edition of “The Coffeyville Journal” described how the hymn came to be:

“On Feb. 12, 2020, Rev. James F. Linzey, who served as a highly decorated Air Force Captain, felt led by Almighty God to write the Space Force Hymn. He set his pen to paper the next day. He had been working on the hymn on an old upright piano that was out of tune in the former Dalton Museum building in Coffeyville, Kan., which he was cleaning. On Feb. 20, 2020, he completed the hymn, what many believe to be his lasting legacy, for the Department of the Air Force for which he served as an officer for 12 years. Coffeyville proudly serves as home of the United States Space Force Hymn, ‘Creator of the Universe.’

Military hymns, like any other hymns, are songs of praise to God, but not all songs are hymns. The military has a song for each branch of the military, and some even have a hymn. Military songs and hymns come about differently than one another. Either the military will commission someone to write an official song, or it will accept what has been written by a civilian.

Hymns, on the other hand, are not commissioned by the military, to avoid the establishment of religion. Military hymns became recognized in the civilian churches before becoming “military hymns.” After that, it became natural for military chapels and military bands to adopt them as their hymns and perform them. But they are never officially sanctioned by the military to avoid the establishment of religion. They will simply use them and call them their hymns.

The Military Bible Association is conducting a campaign to broadcast the “Space Force Hymn” on radio and television, according to an article published by christiannewswire.com. The campaign begins on July 4, 2024, and ends on November 11, 2024, according to religionunplugged.com.

“We request all radio and television stations to join us, and churches to sing it and show the video during church services,” according to the article. “The purpose is to encourage spirituality, freedom of religion, and patriotism in the Space Force and across America.”

Lyrics to Creator of the Universe:

Creator of the universe
Watch over those who fly,
Through the great space beyond the earth,
And worlds beyond the sky.

O God who rules the heart and mind
And takes away all fear,
O God who saves with tender might,
And calms the wind, draw near.

Thy presence, felt with boundless love,
Wherever they may go,
Thy Spirit, gentle as a dove,
Be Thou the God they know.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
In prayer before Thy light,
In solitude of sovereign grace,
Grant courage for each flight.

For 12 years Linzey was a chaplain in the Air Force, and assigned to the Air Force Space Command. The command was forerunner to the Space Force branch of the U.S. military created by then-President Donald Trump. Mocked at the time by critics, the Space Force has become one of the most important means of defense as experts believe future conflicts will take place in space. It currently has six bases and has made more than 200 launches.

Today, Linzey today is Chief of Chaplains for the U.S. National Defense Corps, having served for 24 years in the Air Force, Army and Army Reserves.

The Space Force hymn came to him while studying Greek, Linzey shares.

“I was thinking about the awe and wonder of God,” the Chief of Chaplains said. “The words just flowed from my fingertips.”

Today, Linzey lives in Coffeyville, Kansas, where he is planting Coffeyville Worship Center for the Southern Baptist Convention.

“The chaplaincy and the spiritual aspect of the Air Force Space Force involving space travel is the heart of the Space Force hymn, asking the Creator of the universe for safety on each flight,” Linzey told ReligionUnplugged. “Its futuristic vision and mission parallel the New Tyndale Version, a futuristic Bible translation, because both emanate from past accomplishments and are outfitted with the future in mind.

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice