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Summer
gently slips sideways into autumn sometime this month. Fruit and vegetables are being stored against
the (now notional) scarcity of winter.
Seeds are setting and ripening before the weather cools. For some it's back to work after summer holidays. The new school year begins. And we are prompted with the tradition of
Harvest celebrations to be thankful and celebrate the fruits of our work and
the blessings of the natural world. Here
are some ways that you and your family can do this:
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Collect seasonal material – berries, leaves – into a vase to
appreciate the fruitfulness of autumn indoors.
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Make a harvest collage using pasta, lentils, corn, seedheads,
autumn leaves etc. Write the words
‘Praise the Lord of the harvest’ in the centre.
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Pick blackberries and invite someone to share a crumble or pie.
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Go through the alphabet and see how many things you can think of
to thank God for.
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Enjoy the scents of autumn: fallen leaves, bonfires, ripe apples,
freshly picked tomatoes.
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Listen to the sounds of wind blowing in the corn, or the combines
and the balers.
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Say a simple grace at mealtimes:
Lord, bless our home and bless our
meal. Give us strength to share with
those who are in hunger and need.
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- Because, of
course, in the midst of our own thanks at the generosity of the Creator, we
must not forget that there are many more in this country and around the world
who do not have what they need to live well, or to live at all.
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- May we make
part of our thanksgiving this autumn the action we take to help others.
Source: eChaplaincy Admin