We have arrived at one of the most frequently requested hymns on my list for this year.   I don’t suppose that the reason for this is a great mystery – it is a hymn so familiar, with words that bring real comfort and assurance. Written in 1923 by Thomas O. Chisholm, it tells of God’s faithfulness throughout a lifetime. These are words that speak to the magnitude of the Divine. I love that it unapologetically requires me to consider something greater than myself.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

There were quite a few stories and comments accompanying the requests for this one. A number of people mentioned that this had been sung at a funeral of someone close to them. Some shared that certain words brought tears. Some felt it provided a glimpse into the character of God. It definitely carries with it meaning and memories that are evoked whenever it is sung or heard.

It happens to be Mennonite Heritage Sunday this week and I thought it would be appropriate to ponder something that reminded me of where I come from.   Something that brings up memories of lives lived under the canopy of this great faithfulness. While not a Mennonite hymn per se, this is one of my father’s favourites, and one he also put on my list. Now, I should share that I come from a long line of hymn lovers.   Both my father and his father before him, were musicians who actively participated in church music and were involved in compiling hymns for several new hymn books. In fact, my grandfather was also a collector of hymn books – probably in the neighbourhood of 600! My husband’s fondest memory of him is being shown his tiny closet of a computer room where for the last five years of his life he entered more than 13,000 song titles and melodies into a data base as a record of all these hymns of faith that he obviously cared for deeply. Music is a gift I was given by those who came before me. It has been, and will always be, my inheritance.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.

As I’ve worked on this hymn, I have thought about this gift of music . It came to me through the family I was born into, through the church I was raised in. These hymns may mean something different to me than they did to my grandfather, but they provide a solid foundation on which I stand. These songs were valued. Deeply. The music, the words, the assurance, the comfort. Memories. Heritage.

Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

Thanksgiving. A time to be thankful, to celebrate the harvest, to share with family and friends. A celebration of thanks is done in many, if not all, cultures at different times of the year. It is one of the few festivals that can be claimed by pretty much all of the religious groups I can think of – it is no one’s exclusive ritual or creation.   What strikes me about the act of giving thanks is that, despite our tendency to do so by making lists of what we have, we often need to do it much more when we have very little, be it materially, physically or spiritually. There is something strangely healing about giving thanks. It seems to provide a path to peace in turbulent times and somehow allows for a breath in the midst of a struggle.

This hymn was suggested by several people, but none in English! Not surprising, as it is an old German hymn written by Martin Rinkart in the mid 1630s. Rinkart was a Lutheran minister in Saxony who sheltered victims of disease and famine at the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War. It is said that around the time he wrote this, as the only surviving minister in his city, he was performing up to 50 funerals a day. It is quite beyond me to imagine how these words could have sprung out of that kind of horror, but here again I am struck by the mystery of human strength and the power of faith.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

The tune is attributed to Johann Crüger (1647) and was used by Bach in a number of his cantatas. It is a beautiful melody with very familiar harmonies thanks to Mendelssohn and I must admit to some personal trepidation making changes! However, it was also inspiring to think that for almost 400 years this hymn has provided a reminder to be thankful even when perplexed. To be cheered even when in the midst of this world’s ills.

Thankfulness is a bit of a mystery. It can serve to remind us of all we have. It can focus us on potential and opportunity. It can open our eyes to the smallest thing that carries us through whatever storm we find ourselves weathering.   I wasn’t quite sure if I should include in this Thanksgiving entry a list of what I’m thankful for. When I read the words of today’s hymn, I feel a sense of thankfulness much deeper than something that can be listed. For those who have come before, for those I know now and for those yet to experience this beautiful, flawed world.

I love the autumn. The crisp weather, the sunshine through the changing leaves, the magnificent colours I am privileged to see in the eastern Ontario landscape. It is a time when many of my favourite activities get started and yet we also celebrate the end of summer, harvest and are thankful. As we prepare for Thanksgiving next week, this hymn of praise seemed appropriate. It was suggested to me by two friends who shared that it was sung at their wedding. They both expressed that it had been meaningful before this event, but became even more so after.

This is a song of adoration. The words were originally written by Joachim Neander in German in 1680, and translated into English in 1863 by Catherine Winkworth. I am often struck by how some of these hymns span hundreds of years and can still provide meaning and inspiration to us. My favourite bits are in the second and last verses. Verse two speaks of how God “shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth.” What an image. I can understand why someone would choose this to mark the beginning of a marriage. It is both celebratory and filled with the promise of care.

The final verse has a statement that, I must admit, chokes me up every time I find myself singing it with others.

Let the “amen” sound from God’s people again.

There is something very powerful about voices joining together in an “amen” – something sort of primal. The word is a declaration of affirmation. It comes up in Greek, Hebrew, Arabic and English – with variations in many other languages and is used in all sorts of religious practices. It sort of means we agree. Maybe it’s a bit naive to think we actually agree on much – and as we look around the world it seems we really, really don’t. But there is something spirit building about being in a space with people and choosing to say “amen” despite our differences. Choosing to look for ways to work together seeking something better; encouraging positive change, acceptance, peace and kindness. Idealistic I know, but when I sing this hymn it reminds me of that possibility on a very basic emotional level.

However you choose to say amen, and with whatever group you choose to do so, I hope this can be a reminder of how important it is to find a community with which to share your celebrations, your adorations and your songs.