Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is
like this. A man scatters seed on the land; he goes to bed
at night and gets up in the morning, and the seed sprouts
and grows – how, he does not know. The ground produces
a crop by itself, first, the blade, then the ear, then full-grown
corn in the ear; but as soon as the crop is ripe, he sets
to work with the sickle because the harvest-time has come.”
Harvest thanksgiving services to many people are the most
popular services of their churches. Their involvement in them
is at once inspirational and practical. The specially prepared
music and song; the decorated church with its beautiful flowers,
plants and edible fruit and vegetables, the aesthetic and
the earthy, reminders of the intrinsic worth of harvest and
the reason for thankfulness that we live where there is a
plentiful harvest. And to God we pray, “as You have given
us the knowledge to produce plenty, so give us the will to
bring it within the reach of others.”
In the harvest we see God and man working productively together.
“Back of the loaf is the snowy flour.
Back of the flour is the mill. Back of the mill are the wind
and the shower. And the sun and the Father’s will.”
Jesus used nature to remind people that their dependence
should be in God. He taught many lessons which had their illustrations
in the countryside.
“He spoke of lilies, vines and corn.
The sparrow and the raven, and words so natural and yet so
wise where on men’s hearts engraven, and yeast and bread
and flax and cloth. And eggs and fish and candles. See how
the most familiar world. He most divinely handles.”
Jesus saw life as co-operation between God and people. We
are constantly amazed at the ingenuity of farmers and scientists
whose knowledge and skills contribute so much to the high
standards in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry,
food production and processing of the various products familiar
to us, but the experts have their limitations. They do what
they can and nature does the rest.
Jesus used this little story to say things about trust and
gratitude. He said the farmer sowed his seed and then went
home to sleep. He did what had to be done and left the rest
to God. Experience had taught him that what he sowed would
come to harvest. If he hadn’t had that confidence he
wouldn’t have turned a furrow or sown a seed. The thought
of harvest caused one man to say, “What I have seen induces
me to trust God for what I have not seen.”
Jesus spoke of gratitude, trust and confidence, “First
the blade, then the year after that the full corn in the ear.”
Harvest is reaped after months of working and waiting. Life
often demands a struggle to obtain the desired results. We
are thankful that we have a way of life so different and so
much better than what is to be found in many parts of the
world. And we are reminded that it was our people’s sense
of justice and decency which produced our caring society.
That is the reason why, at our best and most unselfish, we
respond positively to the calls of despair from those in need
elsewhere in the world.
A theme of harvest thanksgiving must be that the worship
of God has the practical implication that the worshipper will
be copiers of Christ in compassion and care for other people.
Our thanksgiving for the benefits we enjoy, if it is meaningful,
will show in how we treat others. The spirit of harvest thanksgiving
must not be an occasional but a continuing exercise in our
lives. It must be purposeful in a selflessness Christ-like
in its concern for people.
“Giving is living,” the angel
said, “So feed the hungry sweet charity’s bread.
And “Must I keep giving and giving again?” “Oh,
no.” said the angel piercing me through, “Just give
‘til the Master stops giving to you.”
The Christian is encouraged to have and to develop that spirit
of thanksgiving which is effective in lifting the hearts and
minds of people. There is always the persuasion of Scripture,
“in everything give thanks,” “be thankful for
small mercies,” and “be thankful always.”
In a word or two harvest has to do with thanksgiving and
giving.
Canon Dr. S.E. Long
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