Notes on the Notes – October 9, 2022

Thanksgiving Sunday

Music for this service will be led by The Harmony Singers.

This week’s music:

“We Praise You, O God” (VU #218)

The title for our hymn book, Voices United,  comes from the third stanza of this hymn.  The words were written by Julia Cory in 1902 at the request of the organist, for a Thanksgiving service at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York.  The words of the second verse remind us of the timelessness of God, and that God is with us even in the difficult times.  The melody, KREMSER, was arranged by the Viennese conductor Eduard Kremser from a tune published with the earlier text in a 17th-century collection of Dutch folk songs.

“We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator;
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before you; we kneel and adore you;
We bless your holy name, glad praises we sing.

We worship you, God of our mothers and fathers,
Through trial and tempest, companion and guide.
When perils o’ertake us, you will not forsake us,
But faithful to your promise, you walk by our side.

With voices united our praises we offer
And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise.
Our sins now confessing, we pray for your blessing,
To you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise!”

Hear the hymn played on organ at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPlPtJ0iZW8

“Grateful” (MV #182)

“Grateful for the life you give us, thankful for your Holy Son,
Joyful in your Spirit flowing over all, O God of Love.
Grateful for the Bread of Heaven, thankful for your Holy Word,
Joyful in your mercy flowing, we will praise you.

You are more than we imagine, Ancient, Holy, Living Lord.
Even when we doubt your presence you are faithful to your Word.

May our lives proclaim your justice, may our voices sing your praise.
May our hands work in your service to the glory of your name.”

This song of thankfulness is by Tom Tomaszek (2003), author, composer, educator and liturgical musician.  The first verse gives thanks for God’s faithfulness, while the second verse is a call to go into the world in God’s name.

“Find in Me a Thankful Heart”

“When you look inside my life, Lord,
When you search my thoughts and ways,
May you find in me a thankful heart,
A life of grateful praise.

Of the bounty of your blessings,
Of your constant love and care,
Of your endless grace and mercy,
Let me always be aware. 

As I think of all the many gifts you offer every day,
Let my thankfulness be seen in everything I do and say.

Through each kindness to a stranger,
Through each act of caring shown,
Through my love for friends and family,
Let my gratitude be known.

When you look inside my life, Lord,
When you search my thoughts and ways,
May you find in me a thankful heart,
A life of grateful praise.

Find in me a grateful heart.”

This week’s anthem by Jan McGuire and Lloyd Larson, was dedicated in memory of David Kaan (2006).

“Grant Us, God, the Grace of Giving” (VU #540)

“Grant Us, God, the grace of giving,
With a spirit large and free,
That ourselves and all our living
We may offer faithfully.”

The text of our offering response comes from the Mennonite hymn book, “Hymnal: a Worship Book.”   The tune is a familiar one which is also used for the Advent hymn “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”  (VU #2).

“Kyrie” (VU #946)

“Kyrie eleison,
Kyrie eleison,
Kyrie eleison.”

This setting of the Kyrie is from the Russian Orthodox Liturgy.  The words “Kyrie eleison” are Greek for the phrase “Lord, have mercy.”

“For the Fruit of All Creation” (VU #227)

“For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God.
For the gifts to every nation, thanks be to God.
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
Silent growth while we are sleeping;
Future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thanks be to God.

In the just reward of labour, God’s will is done.
In the help we give our neighbour, God’s will is done.
In our world-wide task of caring for the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests we are sharing, God’s will is done.

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.”

Our closing hymn sends us out together in praise and thanksgiving for God’s goodness.  The words for this harvest hymn were written by Fred Pratt Green in 1970.  They remind us that as God gives to us, we are commissioned to care for each other.  The words have been set to the traditional Welsh song “Ar Hyd Y Nos (All Through the Night), which was arranged as a hymn tune by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906.

“Sent Out in Jesus’ Name” (MV #212)

“Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.

The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain
Into a world of love, of justice and of peace.
The task is ours to do, to set it really free.
O, help us to obey, and carry out your will.

Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.”

The words and music are from the traditional song, Enviado soy de Dios, from Cuba.  The English translation is by Jorge Maldonado, who also arranged the song for More Voices in 2007.

Hear the song sung by the musicians of Golden Ears United Church at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFukG02ABOI