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11/8: Stewardship

 

STEWARDSHIP SERIES CONTINUES!


8am Service

Gathering Hymn: 

God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending

Hymn of the Day:

Take My Life, That I May Be

Sending Hymn:

We Plow the Fields and Scatter


Frances R. Havergal and the Composition of Take My Life, That I May Be

Frances R. Havergal is back in service to us today, as the author of the text for Take My Life, That I May Be. You might remember Havergal from October 4th (keep up the kindness!), when her text for Lord Speak to Us That We May Speak was used in our song of the day. The text was written following a five-day social visit to Areley House (a private residence in England's countryside), where she stayed with a household of family, friends, and staff. Aware of the uninspired spiritual state of the house's occupants, she asked for God to work through her to bless each individual within the house.  Through prayer ("Lord, give me all in this house!") and counsel with her co-occupants, her faithful dedication in helping the residents know and feel the presence of God was successful. Several residents committed themselves to Christ, and others experienced additional blessings. Havergal describes receiving many of the verses of what would become Take My Life, That I May Be during her final night at Areley House. Unable to sleep from the excitement and joy she felt in light of the many blessings that had come into the house, she spent the night in a state of spiritual connectedness.


10:30 am Service

Gathering Song:

For the Beauty of the Earth

Song of the Day:

My Worth is Not in What I Own

Sending Song:

Go Make a Difference


Folliott S. Pierpoint and the Writing of For the Beauty of the Earth 

My initial memories of the text to this beloved hymn are more closely associated with John Rutter's widely-used arrangement for choir, but in recent years I have also come to enjoy the tune from Conrad Kocher that appears in our hymnal. My curiosity was initially piqued when I saw the author's name was "Pierpoint" but I was disappointed to learn that this author is completely separate from James Lord Pierpont, the composer of Jingle Bells. (Which, fun fact, was actually composed for a Thanksgiving program at a church and NOT as a tune for Christmas.)

Back to our Gathering Song. 

The original intended use of For the Beauty of the Earth was as a selection for Communion, and it was initially published under the title The Sacrifice of Praise. Over time the text has been altered (likely with the permission of Pierpoint) making it appropriate for broader use across the church service. Hymnologyarchive.com provides a thorough history and analysis of the text, as well as the several hymn tune settings that have been used over the years. 




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