Notes on the Notes – October 19, 2025

World Food Sunday  

This week’s music: 

“Give Thanks, My Soul, for Harvest” (VU #522)

“Give thanks, my soul, for harvest, for store of fruit and grain,
But know the owner gives so that we may share again.
Where people suffer hunger, or little children cry,
With gifts from God’s rich bounty may thankfulness reply.

Give thanks, my soul, for riches of woodland, mine, and hill,
But know that gold and timber are the Creator’s still.
God lends to us, as stewards, abundance we might share,
And thus provide earth’s children the blessing of God’s care.

Give thanks, my soul, for labours, that strength and days employ,
But know the Maker’s purpose brings toil as well as joy.
Show forth, O God, your purpose; direct our will and hand
To share your love and bounty with all in every land.”

This hymn was written in 1960 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the department of Stewardship and Benevolence of the National Council of Churches (USA).  As with other contemporary harvest expressions, the words draw our attention in the midst of celebration to the need for sharing of resources and care of the earth.

The words are set to the German tune, MUNICH, which was in use as early as the 16th century.  It was adapted by J.S. Bach for Cantatas 24 and 71, and by Felix Mendelssohn for his oratorio Elijah (1846).  The tune is also used for the hymn, “O Christ, the Word Incarnate” (VU #499).

Hear the melody on organ at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w30Q6jDKNZE

“Glory to the Creator” (TLUS #4)

“Glory to the creator,
and the Christ and the Spirit so near,
as it was from the start so it shall be
forever one God, always here.

Glory to the creator,
and the Christ and the Spirit so near,
as it was from the start so it shall be
forever one God, always here.

One God, always here,
one God, always here.”

Our sung response following the Assurance of Pardon was written by Christopher Grundy (2002) and arranged by Stephen Goers.

Hear the song at: Glory to the Creator (TLUS #4)

“For Everyone Born” (TLUS #23)

“For everyone born, a place at the table,
For everyone born, clean water and bread,
A shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
For everyone born, a star overhead,
And God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
Yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!

For all who share life, a place at the table,
Revising the roles, deciding the share,
With wisdom and grace, dividing the power,
For all who share life, a system that’s fair,
And God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
Yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!

For those we neglect, a place a the table,
A voice to be heard, a part in the song,
The hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,
For those we neglect, the right to belong,
And God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
Yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!

For all who have breath, a place at the table,
A covenant shared, a welcoming space,
A rainbow of race and gender and colour,
For all who have breath, the chalice of grace,
And God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
Yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!”

This week’s anthem has words by Shirley Erena Murray. The original words for this inclusive hymn were written in 1998, and the hymnary Then Let Us Sing uses one of many updated versions with lyrics that have changed as our understanding of inclusion has evolved.  “Murray’s hymn not only reflects human concerns, but it demonstrates God’s care and concern for humankind, hence the refrain, in which God delights in those who create ‘justice, joy, compassion, and peace.’ God is concerned about humanity’s well-being, is active in our lives, and uses people to make creation a better place for everyone and everything that dwells in it.” (https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-for-everyone-born-by-shirley-erena-murray). The words are set to music by Brian Mann (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 for the season of Epiphany comes from the Mennonite hymn book, “Hymnal: a Worship Book.”  The tune, STUTTGART, is a familiar one which is also used for the Advent hymn “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” (VU #2).

“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.”

This hymn sends us out in praise and thanksgiving for God’s goodness.  The words were written by Fred Pratt Green in 1970 and 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.

Hear a beautiful orchestral arrangement of the tune at:  https://youtu.be/d2zgTwdU4E8

“Called as Partners in Christ’s Service” (verse 1) 

“Called as partners in Christ’s service,
Called to ministries of grace,
We respond with deep commitment
Fresh new lines of faith to trace.
May we learn the art of sharing,
Side by side and friend with friend,
Equal partners in our caring
To fulfill God’s chosen end.”

Our benediction response will be the first verse of the hymn of the same name written by Jane Parker Huber.  The words are a commissioning to go into the world with a deep commitment to live the life of a follower of Jesus, bringing our faith into all of our actions.
The tune for the hymn is BEECHER, composed by John Zundel in 1870 and can be found at VU 528 with a different set of words.