Happy Thanksgiving to ALL! I give thanks for all of you, including Jean, whom I very much miss. I hope that she is well and happy.
I have so much to be thankful for this year, including catching a cancer very early and having successful surgery.
This YouTube features the choir at Jesus College, Cambridge, singing my favorite Thanksgiving prayer, sung every year at our Episcopal parish. Lyrics below. It is the one I read at our family thanksgiving dinners Unfortunately my once half-way decent singing voice is long gone, so I spare my family by simply reading it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyNQfLNC7Lg
1 For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God. For his gifts to every nation, thanks be to God. For the plowing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping, future needs in earth's safekeeping, thanks be to God.
2 In the just reward of labor, God's will be done. In the help we give our neighbor, God's will be done. In our worldwide task of caring for the hungry and despairing, in the harvests we are sharing, God's will be done.
3 For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God. For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God. For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us, most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God.
Lovely song! I have also heard the words set to the Welsh hymn tune, Ar Hyd Y Nos. Cambridge Choir is always beautiful. I hope you are having a happy Thanksgiving also. We had our family get together yesterday, so today we are just kicking back and relaxing. I have a lot to be thankful for as well.
Anne, many thanks for that Youtube link. FWIW, that hymn (with the same tune to which you linked) is included in the one-volume edition of the breviary from which deacons and wives of my archdiocese, and many other dioceses, pray Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Thanks Be To God is suggested as an Evening Prayer hymn. I have sung it many, many times, but only by myself - I don't really have anyone else to pray the Hours with. But in the breviary, only the lyrics and the melody are given, no harmonies or accompaniment. So it was quite interesting to hear it harmonized. Beautifully sung, too, in that recording.
Btw, the author of that lyric, Fred Pratt Green, was a notable lyricist from the last century. He was a Methodist minister. His Wikipedia page notes that his lyrics capture his rejection of fundamentalism and his concern for the social Gospel. As a minister, I think he must have preached to British working class workers. You can see his concern for workers in verse 2. The handful of lyrics of his I have seen show his concern for the common good.
Here is another lyric of his, also suitable for Evening Prayer: it is called Now It Is Evening. It can be sung to the hymn tune BUNESSAN, made famous by Cat Stevens in his recording Morning Has Broken (which happens to be very suitable for Morning Prayer :-)).
Now it is evening Lights of the city bid us remember Christ is our light. Many are lonely who will be neighbor? Where there is caring Christ is our light.
Now it is evening. Little ones sleeping bid us remember Christ is our peace. Some are neglected who will be neighbor? Where there is caring Christ is our peace.
Now it is evening food on the table bid us remember Christ is our life. Many are hungry who will be neighbor? Where there is sharing Christ is our life.
Now it is evening here in our meeting may we remember Christ is our friend. Some may be strangers who will be neighbor? Where there's a welcome Christ is our friend.
Jack and everyone, Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to everyone!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo, Jack!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to ALL! I give thanks for all of you, including Jean, whom I very much miss. I hope that she is well and happy.
I have so much to be thankful for this year, including catching a cancer very early and having successful surgery.
This YouTube features the choir at Jesus College, Cambridge, singing my favorite Thanksgiving prayer, sung every year at our Episcopal parish. Lyrics below. It is the one I read at our family thanksgiving dinners Unfortunately my once half-way decent singing voice is long gone, so I spare my family by simply reading it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyNQfLNC7Lg
1 For the fruit of all creation,
thanks be to God.
For his gifts to every nation,
thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping,
silent growth while we are sleeping,
future needs in earth's safekeeping,
thanks be to God.
2 In the just reward of labor,
God's will be done.
In the help we give our neighbor,
God's will be done.
In our worldwide task of caring
for the hungry and despairing,
in the harvests we are sharing,
God's will be done.
3 For the harvests of the Spirit,
thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit,
thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us,
for the truths that still confound us,
most of all that love has found us,
thanks be to God.
Lovely song! I have also heard the words set to the Welsh hymn tune, Ar Hyd Y Nos. Cambridge Choir is always beautiful.
DeleteI hope you are having a happy Thanksgiving also. We had our family get together yesterday, so today we are just kicking back and relaxing. I have a lot to be thankful for as well.
Anne, many thanks for that Youtube link. FWIW, that hymn (with the same tune to which you linked) is included in the one-volume edition of the breviary from which deacons and wives of my archdiocese, and many other dioceses, pray Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Thanks Be To God is suggested as an Evening Prayer hymn. I have sung it many, many times, but only by myself - I don't really have anyone else to pray the Hours with. But in the breviary, only the lyrics and the melody are given, no harmonies or accompaniment. So it was quite interesting to hear it harmonized. Beautifully sung, too, in that recording.
DeleteBtw, the author of that lyric, Fred Pratt Green, was a notable lyricist from the last century. He was a Methodist minister. His Wikipedia page notes that his lyrics capture his rejection of fundamentalism and his concern for the social Gospel. As a minister, I think he must have preached to British working class workers. You can see his concern for workers in verse 2. The handful of lyrics of his I have seen show his concern for the common good.
Here is another lyric of his, also suitable for Evening Prayer: it is called Now It Is Evening. It can be sung to the hymn tune BUNESSAN, made famous by Cat Stevens in his recording Morning Has Broken (which happens to be very suitable for Morning Prayer :-)).
Now it is evening
Lights of the city
bid us remember
Christ is our light.
Many are lonely
who will be neighbor?
Where there is caring
Christ is our light.
Now it is evening.
Little ones sleeping
bid us remember
Christ is our peace.
Some are neglected
who will be neighbor?
Where there is caring
Christ is our peace.
Now it is evening
food on the table
bid us remember
Christ is our life.
Many are hungry
who will be neighbor?
Where there is sharing
Christ is our life.
Now it is evening
here in our meeting
may we remember
Christ is our friend.
Some may be strangers
who will be neighbor?
Where there's a welcome
Christ is our friend.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am so grateful for many things in my life, including my friends here at Newgathering.
ReplyDelete