October 4th
Chard and Combe are celebrating their Harvest
Festival this week and Wambrook and Whitestaunton will have theirs next week. Harvest
is here very quickly, everything seems to be going at breakneck speed, unless
it is just me that thinks that. Harvest, the celebration of what we have and
that which has been gathered into the store, one of the first festival’s to be
celebrated by our Jewish forebears, and in all cultures.
Do you remember when you were young what a Harvest
Festival looked like? All of our memories will be different won’t they
depending on where in the country or indeed the world you were brought up. In Starcross because we had the hospital for
those with learning disabilities, Harvests were grand affairs, great mounds of
produce that had been grown by staff and residents were brought into Church and
arranged on a specially made wooden display stand that would be absolutely
laden, windows were loaded too, such a wonderous display that I am sure many of
you will be able to see in your mind’s eye. It was mostly fresh vegetables and
fruits that were distributed in the village afterwards, today our focus has
changed often tins and long-lasting goodies that will be given to those in our
areas in hard ship, sharing what we have received.
Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly and
whoever sows generously will reap generously.
Give what you have decided in your heart it says in
2 Corinthians ch 9
I suppose it actually makes sense doesn’t it that
when we give away others will return our generosity in kind and we will be
richly rewarded, maybe with gifts that we can appreciate and savour or with
gifts that are only seen in our hearts.
It is only a small thing but I have been thinking
about the apples on my tree that featured in one of the services back in the
spring, the blossom was glourious and totally covered the tree subsequently we
have been blessed with a huge number of apples, we are still trying to give
them away if anyone wants some!! But when we first arrived in Chard six years
ago now there was one apple on the tree and three the year after, a drastic
prune happened the year after and from that moment on the tree was kind of
shocked into action. So, for two years we tried to store the apples for eating
over the winter, but they don’t keep, the skins went waxy and wrinkly, and yes,
we wrapped them in newspaper. The answer is not to keep them, but put them out
for anyone who wants to take them. Storing them up is a waste and has deprived
others, it took a while and some of you learnt the lesson a long time ago.
God looks after our needs, let’s help look after
others needs, the amazing circle of love
Just a little note that there are a few different DVLA
notice looking fraudulent emails out there at the moment, I have spoken to them
as received a strange one and they verified that there are two or three doing
the rounds. Also telephone calls from Amazon, again they don’t phone you ever,
unless you ask them to. Stay safe it isn’t easy, if in doubt about a call no
matter who they say they are, put the phone down and leave it for at least five
minutes before checking there is a normal dialling tone and ringing the
company/person to check out the story.
I am just about to order the Church Lectionary booklets
for 2020/2021, if you would like a copy at £5.00 then please let me know. They
contain the references to look up the Bible readings for every day of the year.
Reverend Georgina 66159
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