"Come, Ye Thankful People Come"

[Nelson Bradford]

The harvest is the end of the age . . . ~ Matthew 13:39

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.

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 offenses 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 To Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in, Free from sorrow, free from sin;
There forever purified, In Thy presence to abide.
Come, with all Thine angels come; Raise the glorious harvest home.

- Henry Alford, 1844

Copied from“Sing to the Lord” © 1993 by Lillenas Publishing Company

[Sarah Smith]

I feasted musically with the local UMC on Sunday last. We sang this song along with two more traditional Thanksgiving songs. We had a challenging sermon to be thankful IN all circumstances even when no one in their right mind would be thankful FOR all circumstances.

It was a wonderful prelude to the Big Day.