Hymn Story, on COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME, by William Petersen

Many Christians are in the habit of giving thanks before meals. It is said that Henry Alford also gave thanks after meals, standing and offering his gratitude to God for the blessings just received. He also did this at the end of the day. Indeed, Alford was one of the “thankful people” that he writes about in this hymn. 

But this song isn’t just about thanksgiving for what God has done. It is also about work completed, a job well done. It is about aching muscles and full barns, sun-reddened faces and meals of plenty. It was written to be used at harvest festivals in villages throughout England. Each village observed a celebration whenever it brought in its harvest, and Alford, one of the leading churchmen in England in the nineteenth century, provided this hymn of thanks. It was originally called “After Harvest.”

Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 16:8-9; Psalm 92:1; Psalm 146:7-11

Themes: Thanksgiving, Creation, Second Coming

Lyrics of the 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,
Give His 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 presence to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.

By HENRY ALFORD (1810–1871)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 656-657). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.