Songs of Thankfulness and Praise

In keeping with my tradition to offer something relating to Thanksgiving, I searched for a hymn on thanks. This one came up and I pondered whether to share it. You see, it is often associated with the Christmas season (Epiphany, actually), not necessarily Thanksgiving. But then, in American culture Thanksgiving has traditionally kicked off the "unofficial" Christmas season (as far as merchants used to be concerned; now Christmas items are already edging out the Hallowe'en candy in mid-October). In the church, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is often the First Sunday of Advent, the start of the Christmas cycle of a new Church Year. So maybe it wouldn't be bad to explore this hymn on this day.

And this year, Thanksgiving falls exactly one month before Christmas!

The hymn was written by Christopher Wordsworth in 1862. Christopher Wordsworth was born 30 October 30 1807 in Bocking, Essex, England. Christopher was the nephew of poet William Wordsworth. Christopher was both a scholar and athlete in his student days and later served as headmaster of Harrow Boys School from 1836 to 1850. (Winston Churchill would attend this same school a century later.)

Wordsworth was also vicar at Stanford-in-the-Vale, Berkshire from 1850 to 1869 and the archdeacon of Westminster. He became a bishop of Lincoln in 1868. Wordsworth, as befitting his name, was a recognized Greek scholar who also wrote theological and other works. Wordsworth said of his hymns: "It is the first duty of a hymn to teach sound doctrine and thence to save souls."

Wordsworth's books include: Athens and Attica (1836),
Ancient Writings Copied from the Walls of Pompeii (1837),
Greece, Pictoral, Descriptive, and Historical (1839),
Theophilus Anglicanus (1843),
On the Canon of the Scriptures (1848),
Memoirs of William Wordsworth (1851),
Commentary on the Whole Bible (1856-70),
The Holy Year; or Hymns for Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, And for other Occasions (1863), and
Church History, 1881-83

Wordsworth's hymns include "Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord," "The Day Is Gently Sinking to a Close," "Father of All, from Land and Sea," "Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost," "The Grave Itself a Garden Is," "Hallelujah! Christ Is Risen," "Hark! the Sound of Holy Voices," "Hearts to Heaven and Voices Raise," "Heav'nly Father, Send Thy Blessing," "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord," "Lord, Be Thy Word My Rule," "O Day of Rest and Gladness," "O Lord, Our Strength in Weakness," "See, the Conqueror Mounts in Triumph," "Sing, O Sing, This Blessed Morn," and "Songs of Thankfulness and Praise."

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