harvest.

Earlier in the year I wrote about the joy of the arrival of spring after a long winter. Now, I find myself at the opposite end of the scale, as we head into the final 3 months of the year, and the autumn leaves start to fall. The nights are drawing in, and the days becoming colder. There is less opportunity for sitting outside, and walks have to be carefully planned to avoid the rain.

The children returned to school just a few weeks ago after their long summer break, and Lou and I were asked to sing at a harvest festival at a local church. This caused me to reminisce, and my thoughts returned to my own school days.

I don’t know if harvest is celebrated quite as much in other countries as it is here, but during my childhood, harvest festivals were a big thing! For a start, I had to attend the proper grown up church service along with my mother. Usually, I just went to Sunday School in the afternoon, which was geared for children, but for harvest, I had to sit through what felt like a very long meeting. School celebrations were better, as we had the opportunity to travel by bus to another local primary school, where the children put on a special performance just for us. The school I attended only had visually impaired pupils, so it was exciting to see how things were done at a different place. After the performance, they gave us each huge boxes of fruit to bring home, and we usually started tucking into it as soon as we were back on the bus!

These days, I enjoy attending harvest suppers at my friend Lou’s church, where we celebrate God’s goodness over a shared meal, including the famous harvest loaf, topped with moulded bread and fish, or even a harvest mouse! That bread has such a unique taste.

It’s wonderful to enjoy the food, and to sing the harvest hymns such as We Plough The Fields And Scatter, All Things Bright And beautiful, or Come Ye Thankful People Come, but if this is all we get out of the season then we will be sorely lacking.

Since living in a rural area, I have come to appreciate the work of farmers – the ploughing and planting, the fretting over whether we will have too much sun or rain, and so on. We have so much in this country, and it concerns me that some children grow up thinking all food just comes from supermarkets. So much is wasted and thrown away, and we forget that people in poorer countries long for just a fraction of our abundance.

As I’ve pondered harvest this year, I’ve been asking myself whether I take time to thank the Lord for the things in life I could so easily take for granted. Each morning, I get out of my warm bed, use the bathroom with clean hot water, and make my choice of what to have for breakfast. I have electricity for cooking and lighting, and so much more. I have never had to do without these things, and have to be careful I don’t fall into the trap of thinking they are my right. Rather, they are gifts from our wonderful Creator God – our Heavenly Father, who loves to give good gifts to his children.

In Matthew chapter 6, we are told not to worry about things like whether we will have enough to eat, or clothes to wear. Jesus says in verse 26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.” However, there is a huge contrast between not worrying about something, and forgetting to be grateful for it. In other words, Jesus doesn’t want us to obsess over these things, but he also wants us to be grateful for the ways in which he provides them.

In 2Corrinthians 9: 11, Paul says: “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.” So, our blessings are not to be kept to ourselves. The Lord doesn’t approve of hording. Instead, he wants us to keep sharing our abundance, as in turn, others will share with us. Giving is one way in which we can say thank you to Jesus, whether it be financial, or in some other way. We often forget that one of the greatest ways we can give is in sharing our time. Perhaps you know someone who isn’t well, or a lonely person who could benefit from a visit, where you just sit and take the time to chat.

As we gaze upon the bounty of the harvest table, let it serve as a reminder of our Father who provides for his dearly loved children, and let’s make a commitment to help those who do not have the things we take for granted. There are some amazing Christian organisations out there that make it their business to provide for the poor in third world countries. Yet, there are also great needs closer to home. Here in the UK, we have local food banks, where people can go if they are struggling financially. Some churches now choose to donate their harvest offerings to such charities. It saddens me to think that people living in my own street might not have enough to eat, while my cupboards are full.

At the end of the day, we need to heed the prompting of the Holy Spirit, as he directs us in our giving and sharing. But whatever we do, let’s do it with an attitude of gratitude, giving thanks to the Lord of the harvest, without whom we would have nothing.