Wheat was written for a friend when her sister passed away. Two of her
sister's favorite two Bible verses were John 12:24
Truly, truly,
I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it
remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
and Galatians 5:22–23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
These form the basis
of the song. It was meant to be--the whole composition took less than a day. It has been used for other funerals since then (and non-funerals) including for my father-in-law Rodney Jewell's.
Spring, 1994
Lyrics
I walked through a field of ripening grain, its time had nearly come.
As fruit and as seed in God's own realm, the wheat and I were one.
To make my fruit abound, let your hearts lie open like the earth.
And when my time comes `round, let your earthy hearts and love give birth
To fields of love and joy and patience; to fields of kindness and open-handed faith;
To fields of peace and gentleness and self-control: The gifts for the lovers of God.
So let my fruit abound: be my wheat and witness in this world
And when your time comes `round, you'll see the seeds you've planted in return.
The seeds of love and joy and patience; the seeds of kindness and open-handed faith;
The fields of peace and gentleness and self-control: The gifts for the lovers of God.
To heal and to shelter, feed and clothe, to comfort and to hold;
The wheat of the Spirit nurtures all: That's what my Master told.
To make my fruit abound, let your hearts lie open like the earth.
And when my time comes `round, let your earthy hearts and love give birth
To fields of love and joy and patience; to fields of kindness and open-handed faith;
To fields of peace and gentleness and self-control: The gifts for the lovers of God.
So let my fruit abound: be my wheat and witness in this world
And when your time comes `round, you'll see the seeds you've planted in return.
The seeds of love and joy and patience; the seeds of kindness and open-handed faith;
The fields of peace and gentleness and self-control: The gifts for the lovers of God.