“Praise the Lord with Thankful Voices”
This month we continue our Hymn of the Month series in which one or more hymns drawn from collections published by The Leupold Foundation will be posted on the website for consideration by pastors and musicians who may wish to introduce the hymn to their congregations the following month, perhaps by having the choir introduce the hymn on the first Sunday of the month or season and then inviting the congregation to join with the choir in singing the hymn on each subsequent Sunday. Additional hymns will occasionally be suggested for a particular Sunday or festival in the church year; such hymns may only be appropriate on the designated day, or they might be used as a Hymn of the Month in anticipation of or in response to the particular day on the church calendar.
Hymn of the Month for NOVEMBER 2025
Text: “Praise the Lord with Thankful Voices,” John A. Dalles, Let Voices Break the Silence, p. 62 Tune: DRUMCLIFFE, Roy Hopp, Let Voices Break the Silence, p. 62 Alternate Familiar Tune: BEACH SPRING, Public Domain
.
The Hymn of the Month for November 2025 is “Praise the Lord with Thankful Voices”, a thoughtful text by John A. Dalles (b. 1954) set to a well-crafted tune by Roy Hopp (b. 1951). At first glance a joyous hymn of thanksgiving appropriate for that November observance (“Praise the Lord with thankful voices: God is good, God’s love abides.”), this text quickly becomes a fervent prayer of confession in the second and third stanzas (“We confess that human weakness is a burden that we bear.”) before becoming a heartfelt plea for guidance to correct our human failings in the two final stanzas (“Gather us, O God, and save us from the places where we roam.”). As we offer our thanks to God for all our blessings at this time of year, is it not important to combine thanksgiving with repentance? This hymn allows us to do both. While many of us pray, “Keep us ever mindful of the needs of others” over our Thanksgiving meal, this hymn reminds us that, often, “we ignore the cries for mercy (and) avoid the ones in need.” As a hymn of confession, it could thus be sung every Sunday in November (as well as other times of the year), and as a hymn of thanksgiving, it could definitely be sung on Thanksgiving Day.
John A. Dalles is a retired Presbyterian pastor who served most recently as Interim Senior Minister for Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. A graduate of Penn State University (BS), Lancaster Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (DMin), Dalles was previously pastor for churches in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Two volumes of his collected hymns, We Turn to God (2010) and God Is the Singer’s Friend (2013), appear in the catalog of The Leupold Foundation. Roy Hopp is Director of Music at Woodlawn Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Adjunct Professor of Choral Music at Calvin Theological Seminary, where he directs the Calvin Theological Seminary Choir. He studied at Calvin College (BME) and Michigan State University (MM), and, as a composer of church music, he has over 150 published works. Two collections of his hymn tunes, Let Voices Break the Silence, and A Treasury of Faith Old Testament Series A was published by The Leupold Foundation.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.