This 39-year-old already had a rich reputation for spontaneous composition, so would it be surprising if Charles Hutchinson Gabriel was once again called upon to concoct something for an occasion in 1895? And yet, some of what we know of “All Things Are Ready” suggests that perhaps he didn’t always want clear attribution that would normally come with a song’s publication and use. His biography indicates he was in Chicago by the last decade of the 19th Century, when he urged people to attend a ‘feast’. Was he trying to coax visitors to partake of a church potluck meal, or instead something more significant? Was a minister at a church teaching from a certain text, making Charles’ verses relevant to a message’s concluding thoughts? See what you think.
Charles Gabriel may have written up to 8,000 songs in his lifetime, and if so, he must have had a variety of circumstances at play that helped focus his energies. One of Gabriel’s publications was an autobiography entitled Sixty Years of Gospel Songs, so a bit of simple arithmetic suggests that Charles was composing an average of 133 new songs every year over that six-decade stretch. That means he was almost constantly thinking and composing, about every two or three days. This prodigious output, according to those who knew him, included focused thoughts for upcoming occasions or episodes that he’d already experienced. The words he used in ‘All Things…’ reiterate with each verse that a feast is set for consumption, and that it’s not an ordinary meal of which Charles was thinking. The ‘invitation’ for this special banquet was issued by God Himself, so one can envision Charles having heard a message from the pulpit, or perhaps expecting to hear one, based upon what Jesus had to say when he was a guest at someone’s house for a meal (Luke 14:15), or when he was teaching (Luke 13:29 or Matthew 8:11). ‘Come to this feast’, one can hear a minister plead, underscored with the four verses of song that Charles wrote to further coax those still hesitating. It’s not about food, but instead about being with God in the kingdom forever, about accepting the ‘everlasting life’ (v.4) that is available to all. That’s not something an ordinary human can offer another, just God. And, He and His Son and the Spirit need not offer other things along with it. Perhaps that’s what Charles understood intrinsically – being at God’s table is enough.
Charles Gabriel, like other hymnwriters of the time, used pseudonyms frequently when providing attribution for what they wanted to publish, especially if so many of a hymnal’s selections were from one author. For ‘All Things…’, Charles apparently used the fictitious name Charlotte G. Homer (in some songbooks). Be it Charlotte or Charles, the poet is just the deliverer of the offer God makes. God doesn’t need an alias, and none of us who are still around when He returns will mistake His identity. If you take the time to read about the end of time, it can be pretty terrifying. God will not be someone that you want to be your adversary. Make Him your advocate, instead. He’s doing the friendly approach now, by inviting you to come be at His table. You won’t want to hear the words ‘I never knew you’ (Matthew 7:23). Know Him, and He will reciprocate, like no one else is capable of doing.
Here’s a link to the author’s biography: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/g/a/b/r/gabriel_ch.htm
See more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_H._Gabriel
See here for song’s verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/a/t/a/r/ataready.htm
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