Mists and mellow fruitfulness
As I write autumn is looming on the horizon, the leaves are already starting to fall, and that will mean thoughts turn to the re-start of schools, young people leaving to go to university, the end of the cricket season and Harvest Festival. The traditional image that springs to mind when it comes to Harvest Festival is of the church adorned with large marrows and bread shaped as a sheaf of corn. But what lies behind these harvest images; what are we doing when we gather to celebrate the harvest?
Yes we are being thankful for all the good gifts that we enjoy day by day. We are thankful that we are well fed and we have an amazing variety of foods set before us each day. Yes we are reminded of the bountiful and beautiful world we live in. But we should also be challenged to think of those who don’t enjoy the diet we can often almost take for granted – the images of hunger in the Horn of Africa are I am sure still fresh in our minds. Yes we are challenged to support relief agencies or closer to home the Food Bank being run, by St Mary’s Sherards Green. They are collecting food (packed and tinned goods) that will be given to families in need on our own doorstep. We shall be collecting packaged foods at our Harvest Festival and these will be given to St Mary’s for their Food Bank. Not only are we challenged by the plight of those who don’t have enough to eat but we are also challenged by the damage we see being done to the world around us. I know there is much debate surrounding the extent of the damage being done to the environment by climate change. The Mission and Education Committee at Holy Trinity has been trying to look into some of these issues and you will find that from time to time they will include, in this magazine, information that will challenge us as we seek to become better stewards of the bountiful and beautiful world we live in.
Harvest Festival makes us aware of the generous nature of God in giving us the food we enjoy every day. The generous welcoming God will be at the heart of our harvest services on Sunday 2nd October. Why not come along and celebrate the harvest but celebrate the fact that we have a generous welcoming God who gives all that we enjoy to us each and every day.
