Sunday Audio Service – Trinity 17 – Harvest Communion – 1/10/23
COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME,
Raise the song of harvest home!
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin.
God, our Maker, doth provide,
For our needs to be supplied.
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest-home.
All the world is God’s own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield.
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade, and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear:
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.
For the Lord our God shall come
And shall take His harvest home,
From His field shall in that day
All offences purge away,
Give His angels charge at last.
In the fire the tares to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.
Even so, Lord, quickly come,
Bring Thy final harvest home.
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin.
There, forever purified,
In Thy garner to abide:
Come, with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest-home.
Henry Alford.
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WE PLOUGH THE FIELDS and scatter,
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered,
By God’s almighty hand.
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain.
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above.
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
For all His love.
He only is the Maker,
Of all things near and far.
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star.
The winds and waves obey Him,
By Him the birds are fed.
Much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread.
We thank Thee, then, O Father,
For all things bright and good;
The seedtime and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food.
No gifts have we to offer,
For all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
Matthias Claudius.
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NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD,
With hearts and hands and voices.
Who wondrous things has done,
In whom His world rejoices.
Who from our mother’s arms
Has blessed us on our way,
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessèd peace to cheer us.
And keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God
The Father now be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns,
With them in highest heaven.
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and heaven adore.
For thus it was, is now,
And shall be ever more.
Martin Rinkart.
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GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not.
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Thomas O. Chisholm
