When Thoughts Turn Toward
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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.
“Come Ye Thankful People Come”, by Henry Alford
In the November issues of Victoria, we are encouraged to recall hearth and home as well as to reflect and to be thankful.
"And let the Peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (Colossians 3:15).
In the 1991 issue of Victoria, the first verse to Henry Alford’s song, Come, Ye Thankful People, Come is shared with sentiments of joining in thankful praise for family and friends and to appreciate the true gifts of life.
There is a comfort in the thought of home – a place of warmth, laughter and love, where one is welcomed and anticipated with open arms.
Preparations for family gatherings are generally well thought out and include favorite dishes for the Thanksgiving meal and warm, cozy rooms for one to lay and to rest.
For some, Thanksgiving will be a time apart – we have so many serving our country and several other countries in the military.
Though they may not be physically present –
they are cherished in their family’s hearts.
Whether you are providing the ‘home’ to gather or are traveling to see loved ones – I hope you reflect upon the many and varied blessings of this past year – God’s provision as this hymn so wonderfully proclaims.
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly"
(Psalm 84:11).
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
Hymn
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,
Giving 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.
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the LORD" (Hebrews 12:14).
Wishing you a most Delightsome week,
images form the 1991 November issue of Victoria Magazine
