Hymns with a thankfulness theme this week, as well as some harvest hymns to reflect the cooler days and autumn colours.
Autumn at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autumn_at_Lake_Tekapo_NZ_(20)_(8670112943).jpg CC-zero / Bernard Spragg
SONG: ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING
Artist: Cantus Choro
Words/Music: St Francis of Assisi paraphrased William Draper/Anon
Recording: Move MD 3032
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
And ev’ryone, with tender heart,
forgiving others, take your part,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God, and on him cast your care,
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
SONG: COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME
Artist: Choir of Girton College, Cambridge/Martin Ennis (dir), William Ings (organ)
Words/Music: Alford/Elvey
Recording: Priory PRCD 717
Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest home;
All be 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.
Then, thou Church triumphant come,
raise the song of harvest home;
all be safely gathered in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there, forever purified
in God’s garner to abide;
come, ten thousand angels, come,
raise the glorious harvest home.
SONG: PSALM 95, O COME, AND LET US TO THE LORD
Artist: Scottish Philharmonic Singers, Ian McCrorie (dir), John Langdon (organist)
Words/Music: Psalm 95
Recording: Abbey 282830
O come, and let us to the Lord
in songs our voices raise,
with joyful noise let us the rock
of our salvation praise.
Let us before his presence come
with praise and thankful voice;
let us sing psalms to him with grace,
and make a joyful noise.
For God, a great God and great King,
above all gods he is.
Depths of the earth are in his hand,
the strength of hills is his.
To him the spacious sea belongs,
for he the same did make;
the dry land also from his hands
its form at first did take.
O come and let us worship him,
let us bow down withal,
and on our knees before the Lord
our Maker let us fall.
SONG: WE PLOUGH THE FIELDS AND SCATTER
Artist: Scottish Festival Singers
Words/Music: Claudius trans Campbell/attrib Schultz
Recording: Whole World Media Group
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.
Refrain:
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 wind and waves obey Him,
by Him the birds are fed;
much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread.
Refrain:
We thank Thee, then, O Father,
for all things bright and good,
the seed-time 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.
Refrain:
SONG: FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: Pierpoint/Evans
Recording: Hyperion 711210
For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
over and around us lies:
Refrain:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise.
For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Refrain:
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild:
Refrain:
For each perfect gift of thine
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n:
Refrain:
SONG: WHEN MORNING GILDS THE SKIES
Artist: Choir of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Catherine Palmer (dir), Ronald Jordan (organ)
Words/Music: Anon translated Edward Caswall/Joseph Barnby
Recording: Marquis MAR175
When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Whene’er the sweet church bell peals over hill and dell,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
O hark to what it sings, as joyously it rings,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
In Heav’n’s eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let earth, and sea and sky from depth to height reply,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing this eternal song through all the ages long:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
SONG: HE LEADETH ME (BY HIS HAND)
Artist: International Staff Songsters of the Salvation Army
Words/Music: Gilmore/Mack
Recording: Salvationist Publishing & Supplies SPS 321
He leadeth me: O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
Refrain:
He leadeth me, he leadeth me;
by his own hand he leadeth me:
his faithful follower I would be,
for by his hand he leadeth me.
Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
sometimes where Eden's flowers bloom,
by waters calm, o'er troubled sea,
still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
Refrain
Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine,
nor ever murmur nor repine;
content, whatever lot I see,
since 'tis my God that leadeth me.
Refrain:
SONG: NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD
Artist: Cathedral, London, John Scott (dir), English Brass Ensemble, Christopher Dearnely (organ)
Words/Music: Martin Rinkart trans Catherine Winkworth/Johann Cruger
Recording: Helios CDH 88036
Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers' 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 blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
of this world in the next.
All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son and Spirit blest,
who reign in highest heaven
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
