This song, continuing as a hymn connecting the bounty of harvest with a life of faith in Christ. As I sing anew this hymn, I am also hearing God’s calling of faith on the hymn’s author, Georgina Elma Harkness. A woman, who felt the call to ministry in a time when women were not ordained in the Methodist church. She did mission work overseas in 1912 and then earned a Ph.D. in philosophy of religion. For twelve years she taught philosophy and religion at a women’s college and in her breaks, she studied at Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, and Union Theological Seminary (NY) as a non-degree seeking student. Finally, in 1926 she was ordained in the Methodist Church but unable to serve as minister till 1956. She also taught at other higher educational institutions and even became the first woman to teach theology at a seminary in the 1940s. She wrote over thirty books. Her deep faith can be seen echoed within many hymns she authored, especially in verse four that goes as follows:
God of the countryside, dear to the Christ who died to make us one: we pledge our lives anew
in faithful love to you. Guide all we say and do. Your will be done.
Prayer
Oh God, indeed, of the fertile fields, we are so grateful for the ways in which you feed and love us, through the gift of daily bread. It is through your love we are able to be a source of love and care for people everywhere. In Christ, may we be one, we pray. Amen.
