A time for harvest celebration
Yesterday we enjoyed gathering together, to give thanks to
God, for all that he provides for us, not just at Harvest, but, every day of the
year. But it’s also great to focus on Harvest as a specific time to stop and
think, to reflect on what we have, and to bring gifts to make a difference for others.
The two tables in church were weighed down with a whole
range of fruit, vegetables and other goods by the end of our two services. All of
which will be joined with the gifts from St John’s harvest festival service on Sunday, and given to support the work of the Red Cross and the Open Hands project.
At our service we considered how our response to God’s goodness to us can be reflected in our own lives, by the way we reach out to others and seek to make a difference. Something I see happening around the school every day in the way children and staff work together. The willingness to help someone or include them in a game, offering to let them go first in the dinner queue, clapping enthusiastically to celebrate some form of success, a word of encouragement or friendship when someone is upset, a hug or just taking the time to listen to what is important to someone else. It’s all there, every day, and is a clear demonstration of God’s love outworking itself in our school community and that is certainly something to be thankful for as well.
