80 Years War | Big Springs Community Church

The Surprising Origins of Two Thanksgiving Hymns

November 30, 2022December 1, 2022 bigspringschurch80 Years War, Come Ye Thankful People Come, Dutch War of Independence, Thanksgiving Day, We Gather Together, Wheat and Tares

What if I told you that “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” and “We Gather Together” were originally not meant to be Thanksgiving hymns as we know it today? Yes, both were not written for the purpose of giving thanks and praise to God for a good harvest. “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” It is true that “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come,” written in 1844 by Henry Alford, an Anglican minister, has overtones of joy at harvest time. In Stanza 1, the people are exhorted to sing in thankfulness for the…