Songs for Autumn / Fall and Harvest Thanksgiving

• HiOS008 Autumn comes in all its fullness (Bill Wallace, New Zealand) Lovely hopeful words sung to a fairly standard sounding hymn tune, which will be pretty easy to sing. Lyrics.
• ATN38 One by one you call us home / Like autumn leaves upon the ground (Robin Mann, Australia) Lovely words of comfort to a folk tune; includes imagery of Jesus washing our feet. Lyrics.
• UMH086 Mountains are all aglow (Ok In Lim, Korea) Good lyrics of harvest. The tune is unusual and will need to be taught. Lyrics.
• Online Resource The earth has yielded its harvest (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan, USA) Lovely words for a modern approach to harvest thanksgiving. Lyrics, sound sample, and purchasing options. 
• Online Resource / STB268 The grain is ripe (Shirley Murray, New Zealand) Good words about harvest and peace sung to a simple hymnlike tune. Lyrics and sheet music.
• Online Resource / CH230 / VU517 / StF126 Praise God for the harvest of orchard and field (Brian Wren, USA) A thoroughly modern harvest thanksgiving hymn, which would work for any service, not just a harvest thanksgiving. I would actually sing this to BONNIE GEORGE CAMPBELL (TiS 624), by just adding a single note anacrusis at the start of each line. Lyrics. New words to old tunes. 
• BUC Song Project Harvest our love (Dave Brown, Australia) Let's not just talk about harvesting food, but offer God our lives as well. This song was written after Tune In was published, so only available at Brunswick Uniting so far. Gosh, it's ages since we've sung this, and it's really good.
• MV125 When a grain of wheat / Hitotsubu no (Toyohiko Kagawa, Japan) This is a lovely chant. It will need to be taught as it's a Japanese melody and the timing is unfamiliar to Western ears, but once known it should be quite straightforward to sing. Choral video, in Japanese.
• VU306 God of the farmlands hear our prayer (Thomas Charles Hunter-Clare, Scotland) Good words about harvest, waters, mining (!), city and industry, guidance for politicians, nation-hood. It's pretty good. Lyrics and sheet music sample.
• VU242 / LBW557 / ELW881 / GtG037 / PH554 / GC567 / GC(II)551 / G(3)635 / CP403 / W&R22 / Cha717 Let All Things Now Living (Katherine Kennicott Davis, USA) Lovely lyrics to the well known and quite jolly Welsh folk tune ASH GROVE. Not all sources are inclusive. Lyrics (older version). New words to old tunes.
• TiS 627 / AHB 569 / ATN 8 / LBW409 / ELW689 / GC764 / GC(II)754 / G(3)861 / CP(E) 272 / W&R722 / URW188 / StF125 Praise and thanksgiving Father we offer / Praise and thanksgiving now we would offer (Albert Bayly, England) Most versions of this are not inclusive, as it is based on quite old words. However, the imagery of a parent makes sense, so even though it is masculine, it doesn't need to be avoided. URW has an inclusive version. Sung to the familiar tune BUNESSAN. Lyrics (pdf) Old words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / GWA165 We till the earth we tend the ground (Curtis Stephan, USA) This song is both about our role as labourers in the harvest, including both caring for creation, but also caring for each other, and bringing peace. It has an anthemic feel to it, and you may wish to focus on just a few verses at a time, rather than all 7 and the chorus. This song is based, in part, on Laudate Si. Sound sample, sheet music samples, and purchasing options. Full song lyric video.
• Online Resource / TiS 569 / AHB 478 / NCH18/19 / CH167 / UMH127 / VU651 / LBW343 / ELW618 / StF465 / A&M652 / HPP432 / GtG065 / PH281 / CP565 / CP(E) 455 / W&R501 / Cha622 / 82Hml690 / StF465 / Lau960 / MP201 Guide me O thou great Jehovah / Redeemer (William Williams, Wales) A rousing hymn of God’s presence and strength and making it to the other side. "Bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore." Lyrics & sheet music. Oldy-but-a-goody.
• CH230 / VU517 / StF126 Praise God for the harvest of orchard and field (Brian Wren, USA) A thoroughly modern harvest thanksgiving hymn, which would work for any service, not just a harvest thanksgiving. I would rather sing this to BONNIE GEORGE CAMPBELL (TiS 624), by just adding a single note anacrusis at the start of each line. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• NCH424 / SFFS 2061 / PH480 Praise Our God Above source of boundless love (Chao Tzu-chen) Lovely words; traditional Chinese tune will need some practice, but is worth it. Lyrics and sound sample.
• TiS 159 / AHB 94 / CH226 / VU300 /A&M285  / ELW734 / CP261 / CP(E) 271 / Lau733 God whose farm is all creation (John Arlott, England) Simple words of caring for the crops and harvest as well as the rest of creation. Youtube pianist with lyrics (but no singing).
• TiS 130 / AHB 59 / CH229 / VU520 / LBW362 / ELW681 / HPP284 / HPSS560 / CP258 / CP(E) 275 / 82Hml-291 / StF130 / MP732 We plow the fields and scatter (Matthias Claudius / translated Jane Montgomery Campbell) I still like this old hymn, even if it brings to mind people sowing seed and then running away... Sources vary for how inclusive the language is. Oldy-but-a-goody.Lyrics and sheet music.
• StJ / R233 / ELW695 / PH414 / CP260 / W&R570 / VU518 / GtG712 / 82Hml-705 As saints of old their first fruits brought / As Those of Old Their Firstfruits Brought (Frank von Christierson) A fairly traditional and standard Harvest thanksgiving hymn to the tune FOREST GREEN. Lyrics and sheet music.New words to old tunes.
• Cha719 Come Sing a Song of Harvest (Fred Pratt Green) A hymn that tries to bring the idea of harvest thanksgiving into the modern era. Lyrics and sheet music.
• NCH783 / WoV705 / ELW465 / GA194 / G(II)594 / GC825 / RS921 As the Grains of Wheat (Marty Haugen) Quite simple flowing tune and nice words about grains becoming our communion bread. Good communion song for a Harvest Thanksgiving Service. Lyrics & Sheet music samples. 
• TiS 168 / NCH425 / CH231 / UMH97 / A&M284 / ELW679 / GA426 / HPP287 / GtG036 / PH553 / RS704 / CP259 / CP(E) 254 / W&R723 / Cha714 / Lau731 / StF124 / URW193 / VU227 / WoV760 For the Fruit of All Creation / For the fruits of this creation (Fred Pratt Green) Some sources are quite masculine (TiS), but some OK (NCH, GtG). Very easy and well known tune (AR HYD Y NOS) and pretty standard words of harvest thanksgiving. The phrase "in the just reward of labour" would be an interesting discussion point for this passage. Lyrics and tune sample. New words to old tunes.

Songs with a focus on all seasons

• Unknown Source We'll weave a love / Song of Community (Carolyn McDade, Canada) A song of all seasons. It's a little bit tricky to learn, but once learned, you will not forget it "We'll weave a love that greens sure as spring, then deepens in summer to the fall autumn brings". Youtube with lyrics.
• Not Online Resource Flow'ring in the summer / Faithful Seasons (Helen Wiltshire, Australia) Australian imagery for all the seasons, and how it's worth celebrating them! If you have a copy of this, it's worth digging out. Unfortunately, it's not available online anymore.
• CH141 / A&M548 / SP250 / URW077 / StF114 Oh the life of the world is a joy and a treasure (Kathy Galloway, Scotland) Good inclusive words about God's presence in "the life of the world" (nature, seasons, childbirth, justice). The tune is a simple Celtic-style melody.  Lyrics.  Tune sample.
• STB026 Seasons Come Seasons Go / Ella kaladollu (Bhajan, India) I think this song would not be too hard to learn, but it will need to be taught because the melody (THANDHEYU) will not be familiar. The words are really quite lovely, including the English translation. Sheet music sample.
• VU632 / StS100 / WoV695 / ELW447 / SFFS 2076 / StF617 / LUYH794 O blessed Spring where word and sign (Susan Palo Cherwien, USA) Imagery of Christ the vine and the changes that the seasons bring, this song speaks of all four seasons. Hymnals vary in the tune selected. I like it best to O WALY WALY.  Lyrics.
 

Does your congregation have a favourite seasonal song? Add a comment below!