Music

I enjoy participating in acts of worship that do not involve music, but I could never make that my staple fare. To me, music is vital to my expression of faith and indeed to my perception and understanding of faith.  The funeral I assisted at yesterday was small and quiet, but I was glad that (unlike the much larger funeral I attended on the previous day) it included an opportunity to sing.  Some people are not singers, of course, and for some to sing will be a difficult and even perhaps distasteful activity;  but for most of us, to sing together is not just a harmonisation of voices but of hearts and souls - or so I feel.

My good friend Andrey has written a tune to accompany the words I wrote for the 'original hymn' section of the Minsterley Eisteddfod this year.  I'm pleased to say that they won.  But that was a hymn for Trinity Sunday, and words and tune were not matched together in time - we managed to do it only this week, when Andrey and I spent half an hour together at his keyboard.  So I have written a new set of words with harvest in mind.  I offer them below, but of course the tune remains the property of Andrey Chulovskiy.

Lifting our voice as one body we sing

in harvest celebration;

lifting our voices we gather to bring

gifts of our Lord’s creation.

He is the Maker of all things; his love

our life and our salvation:

we join with the song of the angels above

to sing our Harvest Home.

Praise to our God for the works of his hand,

and for the season’s growing.

Praise to our God for the fruits of the land,

his gracious spirit showing.

We who give praise for the power of his love

should seeds of love be sowing,

to join with the song of the angels above

and sing our Harvest Home.

Lord of the Harvest, that all may be fed

we bring these gifts for sharing.

We too are Harvest; with you as our head

to walk in faith we’re daring.

You send us out to the world in your love

to do your work of caring;

at one with the song of the angels above

we sing our Harvest Home.