Encouragement

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“Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; and Thy clouds drop fatness. They shall drop upon the dwellings of the wilderness; and the little hills shall rejoice on every side. Thy folds shall be full of sheep; and the valleys also shall stand so thick with corn, that they shall laugh and sing.”


It was harvest time, but when the minister called on a local farmer he was met with a stream of moans and groans. The grumpy farmer made it quite clear that he didn’t think he had a lot to thank God for. The minister listened quietly while the farmer had his say, and then went on his way. The next day he went round to all the houses in the village borrowing plates wherever he could, until he had collected 365. He took them back to the farm and arranged them neatly round the kitchen.

When the farmer came back in he was astounded at the huge display of plates.
“Yes,” said the minister, “There are a lot of plates there, aren’t there? In fact, there is one for each dinner you have had during the past year.” It was his way of showing the farmer that he did, in truth, have much to be grateful for.
And indeed we do have much to give thanks for and to celebrate, and especially so at harvest time, when all the skills and hard work of the farming community at last comes to fruition – and for our benefit.

Ever since primitive man first learned how to cultivate the land and produce his own crops, there have been thanksgiving ceremonies to celebrate the successful and abundant harvest. Like so many other trades and professions, the farmers have introduced their own traditions over the years, and many relating to harvest time. The celebration of harvest dates back many years, even to pre-Christian times, when the success or failure of the crops had a massive impact on the people. The early farmers believed that the spirit of harvest lived within the crop. Then as the corn was cut the spirit was forced into the ever-dwindling remainder. The last stalks of wheat, said to be her final retreat, were spared the sickle and were woven into the form of a woman.

Saxon farmers used to offer the first sheaf of corn to one of their gods of fertility to ensure the harvest would be good the next year. Corn dollies, which symbolised the goddess of the grain, were made from the last ears of wheat to be cut, and could be simple or elaborate according to the local style, and as an opportunity to demonstrate the skill of the weaver. In Germany the corn dolly is believed to hold a wolf-like spirit that lives in the sheaf, and which provides the life force for the next season.

However, the harvest festival is not exclusive to Europe, for it is celebrated right across the globe. In Zambia, for example, they celebrate the N’cwala (harvest) Festival on 24th February. This is marked by great feasts, music, and by some of the finest dancing in the country. Local chiefs travel to the ceremony bringing their own warrior dancers with them, where the Paramount Chief elects the best group.

Things are quite different in China where it is known as the Harvest Moon Festival. This is celebrated in mid autumn and is a time for families and friends to gather together and enjoy the full moon, believed to be a symbol of abundance, harmony and good luck.

The Moon Festival is often called the Women’s Festival, as the moon is admired for its beauty and elegance. While we in the West worship the sun for its power and warmth, the people in the Far East praise the moon, regarding it as a trusted friend. Adults will indulge in specially made moon cakes, while the children enjoy puppet shows and lantern processions.

The idea of holding harvest festivals in the church began with the Reverend Robert Hawker, of Morwenstow, in Cornwall, England, who in 1843 created a special service for his congregation to celebrate the bringing in of the crops. The service soon became very popular with the parishioners and they insisted that it be done again the following year.

The idea spread rapidly throughout Victorian England where many people, crowding into the cities, were becoming increasingly isolated from the cycles of Nature. Now, thanks to Reverend Hawker, at this time of the year the church becomes a hive of activity, and visitors and worshippers alike are treated to a wonderful display of colour and beauty, and to the heady scent of the crops.

The whole web of life is held together by the invisible threads of the relationship between the animals, the soil and we human beings, and the Harvest Festival is a constant and joyful reminder of that sacred bond.

“There is an appointed time for everything,
And there is a time for every event under heaven.
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

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