God, who art the Lord of Harvest

God, who art the Lord of Harvest (Prayer for a Labor Force).  D. Elton Trueblood* (1900-1994). This hymn is also known by its title, ‘Prayer for a Labor Force’. For more than eleven years, Trueblood wrote a monthly column entitled ‘Plain Speech’ for Quaker Life.  In the column ‘Hymns for Today’, (April 1968, vol/series 8, issue 4, p. 118), he notes that ‘The period when Quakers refused to sing ended a hundred years ago…  It must have been hard for our ancestors to neglect “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives,” (Matt. 26:30).’  He continues, ‘Quakers have been, for more than three centuries, among the most prolific writers, but not in the field we are...