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October 2001, Page 1.
Index of articles.
Vicar's Letters:
index,
General election.
Joint services,
Race & Faith,
Twinning,
Harvest,
Remember.
In this issue:
(October 2001)
Vicar's Letter,
CW book,
Money,
Question,
History.
Harvest - Thank and Think
Amazingly, although it’s in the bible, there is no Harvest Thanksgiving or Harvest Festival in the 1662 Prayer Book. Harvest festivals in churches weren’t reintroduced until the 19th century, and didn’t find their way into the prayer books until the ASB 1980.
But the instinct of Harvest Thanksgiving stikes a chord in all our hearts. When people worked on the land and struggled to get the produce in and safely stored, they naturally felt relief, gratitude and “being able to breathe more easily” once the Harvest was over. As God has made a beautiful world which gives us the food and clothes we need, it makes sense to say thanks to him. Nowadays many people work in factories or offices, in industries which seem the same all year round, or as the self-employed who are at the mercy of the customers and the order-book. But whatever our job, we feel a sense of satisfaction and thankfulness when it is going well, when there is enough money coming in to keep body and soul together. That’s harvest for us in our lives and times.
This year, we invite you to stop and say thank-you to God with us, as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving on 7th October. The whole family of the church will be together in a united service at 10.30am.
Harvest is also a festival with a message. The unfailing regularity of the seasons is supposed to tell us of God’s unfailing care for us. “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, ... this is my covenant between me and you and all living creatures: never again will all living creatures be destroyed” (Genesis 8:22 & 9:9-11). God is inviting us to step into a relationship with him of security, so that we will not have to worry from one year to the next about how we’ll manage.
In the words of one of the hymns about harvest: “pardon for sin, and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine...”. I wonder if you have found all these blessings for yourself? Harvest teaches you you can.
John Hartley