Autumn is a season characterised by change and reflection. It is a time when nature transforms, with leaves shifting from vibrant green to stunning shades of red, orange, and yellow. The cooling temperatures and shorter days signal a shift from the warmth of summer to the quiet preparation for winter. Nature enters a phase of shedding and release as trees let go of their leaves and animals begin to prepare for hibernation.
When we think of autumn, we see themes of harvest, transition, and letting go. It’s a time of gathering the fruits of labour, symbolizing abundance and gratitude. As I write this letter We are amid Harvest festival celebrations happening across the Benefice with Songs of Praise, harvest tea and family communion services, we come together to give thanks for the harvest safely gathered in.
I have happy memories of harvest time as a child. Picking blackberries from the hedgerows in the lanes; my Mum making jam from the fruit she’d grown in the garden; walking from our small village primary school to the church for a Harvest Service. The church was decorated with local produce, and we sang the traditional harvest hymns with great gusto. The celebration of harvest is a tradition which goes back to the earliest human societies. Most communities celebrated the food they had grown and gave thanks. In the bible in the book of Exodus, the Israelites had instructions to celebrate three harvest festivals- one for the end of the barley harvest, one for the wheat harvest and one for the grape harvest. Each time, once all the crops had been gathered, the community came together to celebrate the fruits of their labour. They offered the first fruits to God to give thanks for his provision. Then they partied, for a week at a time!
We may not gather in the harvest now as those communities did and that is why Harvest Festival is an important reminder of where our food comes from and what it takes to produce it. We remember and we give thanks to God for all those who have been involved in our food production: farmers, suppliers, shop workers and seafarers to name but a few. We give thanks to God, who provides the necessary conditions for food to grow. Without the mix of sun and rain, pollinating insects and good soil the crops wouldn’t flourish. The Lord’s Prayer is a reminder that we shouldn’t take these things for granted as we pray: ‘Give us today our daily bread’. And our harvest hymns focus on that sense of thanksgiving to God in the words from we plough the fields and scatter.
All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above
then thank the lord
O thank the Lord for all his love.
Blessings
Revd Nicola
