The closing hymn this morning is "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come." Most people think of this as a Thanksgiving hymn and it is. But it is so much more.
This hymn was written in rural England in the mid-19th century when the life of the village during the winter depended on the bounty of the autumn harvest. While the first stanza of this hymn rejoices over the harvest, the last three stanzas expound on the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds from Matthew 13. The hymn concludes with a prayer that the final harvest, the Lord's Second Coming, would happen soon.
In 1844 Henry Alford published this hymn under the title "After the Harvest." He was the rector of a rural church in England at that time, and the text was written for a harvest festival. It is a sobering text and may have been written to provoke Christians to consider if they were really the children of God or merely going through the motions. He called it "look alike Christians."
George J. Elvey was the organist at St. George's Chapel at Windsor castle for 47 years. He wrote this tune for a text by James Montgomery and it was published in 1858. It was first put together with Alford's words in 1861.
And now a video for you. Enjoy the beauty of this hymn and consider the words.
Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday.
Kathy
Hi Kathy, Hope you and Joe have a great week. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, Kathy. Happy, blessed Sunday to you and Joe. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteThank you for the history of this great hymn. Hoping that today finds Joe feeling much better. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteInteresting history of that hymn. I have always loved the song, which one hears rarely and most usually at this time of year. It seems well suited for it. As for the final harvests...Maranatha!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful song.....love this post!
ReplyDeleteHope you both are doing well. Happy Thanksgiving week!
That was beautiful thank you for this,
ReplyDeleteI love that hymn!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the history of this beautiful hymn. I don't think most of us consider the words of a hymn. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteHere in Sicily we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. I do though because I grew up in New York. The problem is that I can't find a turkey, the butcher said he gets turkeys only for Christmas. So what I will do is cook a HUGE chicken. Have a nice week dear Kathy!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed hearing this hymn so much. The history behind it is fascinating. Thank you!
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