Bringing in the Sheaves -- Knowles Shaw

 

This 40-year-old farmer-evangelist-hymnwriter was showing something of himself, perhaps memories that he’d carried a long time of “Bringing in the Sheaves” as a boy who grew into manhood at an early age. The sheaves (perhaps very similar to these wheat sheaves in this Vincent Van Gogh 1885 painting) that Knowles Shaw probably saw in his mind were in east-central Indiana, the scene of his boyhood. He might have remembered the sweat and back-breaking moments he endured on the farm where he grew up, but these images did not linger as downbeat notes for him. If Knowles was in touch with the audience with whom he first used this song, there were probably others who heard him that had done the same kind of work, and who shared his reaction. Sparked by some ancient scripture he was reading, and maybe even underscored by his life circumstances, Knowles focused on the emotional result of this labor – joy.

 

A sense of satisfaction, of accomplishing something and seeing the fruit of one’s effort – that was something that Knowles Shaw had experienced first-hand. He’d done many jobs as a teenager as a consequence of his father’s death when Knowles was 12 years old, including most likely chores on the Rushville, Indiana farm where he and his mother and two sisters lived. The boy grew up quickly, learning many other things like carpentry, plastering, shoe repair, store clerking, and teaching. His violin-playing lent him still more connections to the community where he grew and became well-known.  When he decided to devote himself to God’s work and turn his musical talent to soul-winning, it was the memory of his father’s deathbed admonition to live for God that propelled Knowles forward. One can imagine that Evangelist Shaw was preparing a message one day using a piece of scripture (Psalm 126) that resonated with him and his expected audience. Did Indiana farm work mingle with otherwise unhappy circumstances, so that the Psalmist’s verses about ‘weeping’ and ‘tears’ were juxtaposed with ‘carrying sheaves’ joyfully? This was a message from a fellow who had had plenty of large obstacles that could have barred his way – especially the death of his father and dropping out of school to support his family in his pre-teens. Perhaps Knowles saw in hindsight, through his father’s death and the violin music that he learned, the ‘sowing seeds’ that grew into a bounty when paired with the faith that his father urged him to follow. The abundance in Knowles’ life extended beyond his Indiana roots to countrywide tours in which he reportedly converted thousands of listeners to Christ. Though his life was cut short in a terrible train accident in Texas when he was 43 years old, Knowles’ contributions – his joyful expressions, ‘bringing in sheaves’ – were many, including five hymnals that he published in the 1868-1878 period.   

 

Farm work can be very taxing, speaking from personal experience. Drenched in sweat, with little bugs crawling on you, and hay mixed in with briars to scratch up one’s hands and arms – that’s not a lot of fun. How much of this would sound familiar to Knowles Shaw? But, at the end of the day, try standing under a shade tree with a piece of juicy watermelon or a popsicle, and look at the empty fields and hay wagons. Imagine that, and how might you feel? There is some inner fulfillment, though I wasn’t ready to admit that as a sixteen-year-old. I might not be in a hayfield these days, but I still remember how it feels to gather sheaves in other ways. What field are you working in today?  

  

 

 

See more here, including all three verses and the refrain: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/b/r/i/n/bringing.htm

 

See very brief account of the song story here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bringing_In_the_Sheaves

 

See an account of the author’s untimely death here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/s/h/a/w/shaw_k.htm

 

See a very short biography of the author here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowles_Shaw

 

And, a longer biography here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9722357/knowles-shaw

I Am the Vine -- Knowles Shaw

 

He was deep inside a monologue that had captured his attention, perhaps one that he intended to use to address a crowd. That much we could say about Knowles Shaw. He took seriously the words “I Am the Vine” that his God had spoken, and must have thought that his own were unworthy to accompany those of Deity, though he most likely had sung these words, perhaps even before he preached them to others. Knowles knew what stirred a crowd to belief and commitment, since he had been instrumental in thousands of conversions in his travels. And so, the methods he chose were well-considered. He must have felt a certain peace and confidence in his life’s purpose, something that he reportedly voiced in his last words, on an occasion when others in that position might have cried out in agony. Not Knowles Shaw.

 

He was first a musician, but then a preacher who merged this gift with a passion to tell others about the One who came to earth as the God-Man. Though Knowles Shaw lived only into his 44^th year and died in a tragic train accident (on June 7, 1878), his time was well-spent, without a hint of self-regret when he departed from mortal life. He’d already spent countless hours, probably travelled thousands and miles, and spoken to a like number of people by the time he authored “I Am the Vine”, borrowing the very words of the One he served. That all of the verses and the refrain that Knowles wrote were words or paraphrases of what Jesus said to his closest disciples in His last days before his execution underscore how deeply committed this author was to presenting the Christ as an unvarnished person to those who would listen. Knowles didn’t need to add anything to what Jesus said, he must have concluded. Just repeat to listeners what He told others when His most troubled hours approached. Put to music, Knowles may have personally felt what Jesus had said was even more memorable. Otherwise, why would he have paired the words with music? Since he was an evangelist, one can imagine that this song was preceded with a stirring message from the biblical text (John 15), as Knowles tried to capture the hearts of listeners and spur their devotion toward God. Though we know not the detailed circumstances of its incubation and emergence, we can imagine that ‘I Am…’ must have been used many times to great effect, perhaps with Knowles actually guiding the singing of what he had crafted. Knowles was reportedly a gifted speaker, able to readily connect with an audience when delivering a message, and then further captivate them with his singing voice. Knowles may have concluded, as he too read Jesus’ gentle but firm words about allegiance to Him, that this God’s special moments with friends as He prepared to leave them would impact hearers, even centuries later. Perhaps in Knowles’ King James bible (most likely the version he would have used in the mid-to-late 19^th Century), these were red-letter words, as they still are in many bibles today.     

 

Knowles Shaw, according to one account, in his last words on earth exclaimed how great was his honor to bring people to the feet of Christ. What he wrote in ‘I Am…’ showed that he had internalized what he was here to do long before he was at the moment of death. ‘Put God’s words out there in front – that’s my banner’, might have been Shaw’s life motto, if what he did with this song is indicative of his life. He was indeed prepared to receive his eternal inheritance, to be with God. That’s the kind of resolution that can stem the tide of anguish, even when one is lying in a train wreck with life slipping away. His words are all that really matter. He used them to create everything (Genesis 1), and He will use them at the end (Revelation 22). Are you ready to hear Him?  

 

See an account of the author’s untimely death here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/s/h/a/w/shaw_k.htm

 

See a very short biography of the author here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowles_Shaw

 

See more here: https://hymnary.org/text/i_am_the_vine_and_ye_are_the_branches