October Message

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: “Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”                                                                                     Robert Louis Stevenson                                                            

We are now in the peak of autumn; we see the leaves on the trees have turned their beautiful colors. It’s “harvest time” … What exactly is the harvest season? Harvest is a time for farming and typically runs from as early as mid-September to as late as the end of November. The time frame depends on how many acres the farmer has, how many hired hands they have helping, the size of their equipment and how many combines, tractors and semis they have running. The word

“harvest” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon “haerfest” (autumn) or the Old High German “herbist". Harvest has been a season of rejoicing from the remotest times. The Romans had their Ludi Cereales, or feasts in honor of Ceres. Jesus lived during an agricultural time which is why he often used the imagery of trees, seeds, vineyards, plantations, sheep, and farmers. He used parables so that the people could better understand his message. “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. (Mark 4:3-9) The farmer represents God, and the seed is His message. Just as a planted seed starts to grow, the word of God starts to deepen and grow within a person. The scriptural message of “harvest” is that God has provided for us and continues to bless us with all good gifts. Let’s take a few moments out of our day this month to look around us – look at the beautiful foliage and thank God for all that he has given us. Wishing you a fruitful month!