Across the hills where skylarks rise
1
Across the hills where skylarks rise,
and bog‑cotton in silence sways,
O Christ, You climb the cloud‑bright air
and draw our hearts to heaven’s blaze.
2
From oak‑lined paths to meadow streams,
from western cliffs to eastern foam,
Your blessing rests on field and shore,
and calls our wandering spirits home.
3
As once You walked our rain‑washed roads,
You walk the sky with steady grace;
yet still You breathe Your peace on us,
and fill the quiet, holy place.
4
The salmon in the River Bush
move homeward by Your guiding hand;
so lead Your Church in Spirit’s power
to witness love through every land.
5
The red fox in the twilight glen,
the hare that stirs at break of day,
all trust the rhythms of Your care;
teach us that faithful, hopeful way.
6
Ascended Lord, yet ever near,
Your Spirit stirs the hawthorn air;
send us to speak Your living truth,
and bless the ones You call to share.
Hymn information
First Line: Across the hills where skylarks rise
Text: Michael McFarland Campbell
Metre: LM
Tune: Duke Street
Theme: Ascension Day, Celtic spirituality gatherings, The Quiet and Particular, Creation and Instinct,
Scriptural Resonance: Acts 1:9; Ephesians 4:10; Matthew 28:20; Psalm 139:7–10; Job 12:7–10; Jeremiah 8:7; Psalm 104:24–27; Genesis 8:22; 1 Kings 19:11–12; Psalm 19:1–4; Habakkuk 2:20
Reflection: The Sensory Christ and the Widening Horizon
The hymn Across the Hills Where Skylarks Rise offers a unique perspective on the Ascension, particularly for the NeuroDivine community. Rather than viewing Christ’s departure as a distant, abstract event, it roots the Divine presence in the intense, tactile reality of the natural world.
Finding Holiness in the Detail
For many neurodivergent individuals, the world is experienced through “bottom-up” processing—noticing the intricate details before the big picture. This hymn honours that experience. It finds God not just in the “heavenly blaze,” but in the specific sway of bog-cotton and the scent of hawthorn. It suggests that our hyper-focus on the beauty of a “rain-washed road” is not a distraction, but a form of worship.
The Safety of Rhythms
The mention of the salmon, the fox, and the hare highlights the “rhythms of care” that govern the world. For those who find comfort and safety in routine, patterns, and predictable systems, this is a profound theological affirmation. The Ascension is presented as a transition within a trusted rhythm—a “steady grace” that ensures we are never truly abandoned, even when the form of presence changes.
Space and Atmosphere
The Ascension can often feel like a story of “going away,” which can trigger anxieties around abandonment or the loss of a tangible support system. However, this reflection reminds us that Christ ascended to fill the “quiet, holy place” and the very air we breathe. He is no longer confined to one body in one place; He has become the “Spirit that stirs the hawthorn air,” becoming accessible to us in every sensory moment.
A NeuroDivine Prayer
Lord of the heights and the glens,
Thank You for the “cloud-bright air” and the “quiet, holy place.”
Bless our minds that notice the tilt of the bog-cotton and the rush of the river.
In our moments of sensory overwhelm, be the “steady grace” that walks beside us.
In our moments of isolation, remind us that Your Spirit is the very atmosphere we breathe.
Amen.
Copyright
© Michael McFarland Campbell. 2026.
Permission granted for local church or parish use with attribution. Not for commercial reproduction.
Written recently and shared here as part of the NeuroDivine hymn collection.
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