CHRISTIAN LIFE >> Thankfulness
SDAH 556
As saints of old their first fruits brought
Of orchard, flock, and field
To God the giver all good,
The source of bounteous yield;
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Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
On April 9, 1979, Frank von Christierson celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the ministry. Born on Christmas Day of 1900 in Lovisa, a small town 50 miles east of Helsinki, Finland, he came at age 5 with his parents to live in America, first in Norman, Oklahoma, and later in San Jose, California. In the latter city he became a U.S. citizen. After graduating from Stanford University and San Francisco Theological Seminary, he served as pastor of Presbyterian churches in Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. He organized Trinity Community Presbyterian Church of North Hollywood and remained its pastor for 16 years. After retirement in 1965, he served five churches in California and Nevada as interim pastor. He has held many important positions in his church, including moderator and chairman of Christian education. In Sacramento he began a television program in 1962, Capitol and Clergy, which has continued under the guidance of others.
In 1970 he began a “retirement” service as assistant pastor at the Roseville, California, Presbyterian Church, where his specialty is the needs of the sick and the elderly. It was here that most of his more than 50 hymns were written. Fifteen of them have been selected as winners in the Hymn Society of America new-hymn searches. The quality of his poetry has begun to be recognized, as a number of hymnal editors have chosen to include his work in contemporary books.
This hymn text was first published by the Hymn Society of America in 1961 in Ten New Stewardship Hymns, with the first line “As men of old their firstfruits brought.” Regarding its writing, the author states: “As pastor of two new churches, with small memberships and great financial needs, I have been deeply concerned with stewardship; I am deeply concerned about missions and the outreach of the church to ‘all the world’; also, stewardship is a very important phase of the Christian life. No one is deeply Christian until he is a good steward.”
In this and several other stewardship hymns in this section, it should be noted that good stewardship involves, besides money, offering of talents, time, labor, love – yes, of our very selves-to God in the service of those in need.
The tune REGWALL, by Leland B. Sateren (1913-; see SDAH 407) was published in 1963 by Augsburg Publishing House as an anthem with this hymn as the text. It also found a place in Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978. The composer says REGWALL is an acronym formed by the first three letters of the Christian names of his father and mother: Lawrence and Gertrude, the letters being reversed and a second / added. Sateren also arranged SDAH 407, THE ASH GROVE.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
As saints of old their first fruits brought
Of orchard, flock, and field
To God the giver all good,
The source of bounteous yield;
So we today first fruits would bring:
The wealth of this good land,
Of farm and market, shop and home,
Of mind, and heart, and hand.
2
A world in need now summons us
To labor, love, and give;
To make our life an offering
To God, that all may live.
The Church of Christ is calling us
To make the dream come true:
A world redeemed by Christ-like love;
All life in Christ made new.
3
In gratitude and humble trust
We bring our best today,
To serve Your cause and share Your love
With all along life’s way.
O God, who gave yourself to us
In Jesus Christ Your Son,
Teach us to give ourselves each day
Until life’s work is done.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Lev 23:10 (b) Rom 12:1
Author
Frank von Christierson (1900-1996) alt.
Copyright
Words copyright 1961 by The Hymn Society of America, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76129. Used by permission. Music copyright Augsburg Publishing House. Used by permission.
Hymn Tune
REGWALL
Metrical Number
C.M.D.
Composer
Leland B. Sateren (1913-)
