Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

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 wants to be supplied.
Come to God's own temple, come;
Raise the song of harvest home.


Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the U.S. every year by proclamation of our chief executive. Included in President Barack Obama's speech on November 20 were these words: Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed "by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God." He also reminded us of Abraham Lincoln who in 1863 established it as an annual observance.

In contrast to the Christmas season, we do not have many Thanksgiving hymns. Given above is one of very few. It expresses deeper meaning as well, that we ourselves are the planting of the Lord. (See Isaiah 61:3)

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.
--Henry Alford, English scholar and churchman, 1810-1871

May God's heart be made glad during our time of thankfulness!

MaryMartha

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/