Before we put up the tree and start singing Christmas carols, I’d like to pause and give an extra day to Thanksgiving. In the flurry of putting on a meal yesterday, I never gave myself time to pause and focus on all the things I’m grateful for – and they are many.
God has been so good to us. We have everything we need – and far more. I am grateful for the simple things; the ability to work, a warm roof over our heads, comfortable clothes to wear, good food to eat and fresh water to drink.
My mind goes to those devastated by the floods in Tennessee and North Carolina caused by Hurricane Helene – people who lost everything: people they loved, pets they treasured, homes, cars, livelihoods, land, family heirlooms, photos, personal possessions, and the basic essentials of life – food, water, clothing and shelter. And yet, even in their dire circumstances, many of them are grateful. They are grateful for God’s provision through the generosity and kindness of others. (The needs are still great so please help if you can!)
When Henry Alford wrote “Come, Ye Thankful People Come” in 1844, prior to the industrial revolution with the introduction of farm machinery and steam engines, people in local communities worked together to bring in the harvest. They would gather as a work team and move from farm to farm, bringing in each family’s crops before moving on. It was the only way to guarantee everything was brought in from the fields before it was damaged by the weather.
Because most of us buy our food at the grocery store, rather than raising it on our own acreage, we’ve lost some of the meaning captured in this hymn; the invitation to come and help each other bring in the harvest, the understanding of the work involved in planting, caring for and preserving crops, and the urgency of the task. Neglecting summer’s work meant hunger, or even starvation, in the long winter months.
This hymn reflects Jesus’ conversation with His disciples in Mark 4:35-36:
Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
This parallel to what was once every-day life is a beautiful reminder of the task God has set before us. We have urgent work to do! God has called us to sow spiritual seeds, nurture them and help harvest souls. It’s a community effort. Sometimes we sow, sometimes we nurture and sometimes we gather in the souls. Together we are laying up eternal treasures, people saved by faith in God’s measureless grace.
If you haven’t already, I hope you will take time to count your many blessings. I hope you will prayerfully consider how you can be a blessing to others. And I pray you will take the opportunities God gives you to be part of eternal harvest so you may rejoice with others in heaven.
Even so, Lord quickly come,
Bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin.
There, forever purify,
In Thy presence to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.
Come, Ye Thankful People Come
By Henry Alford