The evangelist D L Moody used to tell the story of a conversation he had with Dr. Andrew Bonar in the Highlands of Scotland. He was told that a sheep would often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they couldn't get out of. The grass on the mountains was very sweet and the sheep liked it, so they would jump down ten or twelve feet, and then they couldn't jump back again, and the shepherd heard them bleating in distress. They may be there for days, until they had eaten all the grass.
The shepherd would wait until they are so faint they cannot stand, and then they put a rope around them and pulled the sheep back to safety. Moody asked why they didn't go down there when the sheep first got there?"
"Ah!" said Dr. Bonar, "they are so very foolish they would dash right over the precipice and be killed if they did!"
Moody continued with his story by saying that is the way with people; they won't go back to God till they have no friends and have lost everything. Moody said that If you are a wanderer the Good Shepherd will bring you back the moment you have given up trying to save yourself and are willing to let Him save you His own way.
We live in a self-sufficient age though – an age where we think we can do so much by ourselves – on holiday in Greece we hired a car and I couldn’t believe it when I went to fill up with petrol and had to wait for someone to come out and do it. That’s just a tiny example of how life has changed.
And most of us believe we have the capability to cope with life – to deal with the problems we may face, and to just get things done, but our readings today remind us that by ourselves we will never really cope. It is only when we recognise the presence of God that we can really live.
And that is tremendously important at harvest time because it is the season when we celebrate the wonderful provision made for us – we think of the work done by farmers and all kinds of people involved in the food chain, and we think of God who has blessed us so abundantly.
In the reading from Deuteronomy Moses reminds us as he did his listeners of what God has done – and it’s worth reflecting on some of that – he is bringing a land of flowing streams and pools of water, fountains and springs that gush out… a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.. A land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking…
It’s an incredible idyllic picture – a picture that reminds us of the glory of God and of his love – love that provides abundantly for his children.
But Moses is a realist and he knows that often in good times we can forget where that goodness comes from – Just as there is that saying ‘there are no atheists on a sinking ship’ there is the opposite emotion that there is no need to recognise God when life is going well…
But nothing could be further from the truth because it is only in recognising God’s constant love and care for us and the way he blesses our lives so abundantly that we will have the faith and strength to turn to him in times of crisis with real confidence – if we know his presence in our lives, that is how we will turn to him not as a desperate last hope…
People need recognition for their accomplishments, but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father: "Let's play darts together. I'll throw and you say "Wonderful!'"
God doesn’t need recognition for what he has done but he wants it – he wants it as a response to the blessings he has given, he wants it in order for us to know where to look for more blessing, he wants it in order to enable us to point others to him, he wants it so he can enjoy eternal fellowship with us…
At harvest time we rightfully give thanks for those involved in bringing food to us, but in doing this we do something even more fundamental and that is recognise the source of all good.
Jesus said (John 6:26-35) to his disciples ‘I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understand the miraculous signs.’ Jesus recognised that so often our emotions and thoughts are governed by what we have been given.
That emotion was so strong amongst some of those listening to Jesus that they still remembered well the manna that was given to them when they journeyed through the wilderness. And they attributed this gift of food to Moses – they remembered him as a man who had fed a nation, but Jesus pointed out to them that the gift was from God not from Moses – Moses was merely an agent of God being used powerfully to improve and preserve life…
Today we must recognise the gifts we are given – we must recognise the gifts of farmers and others involved in the food chain, and we must be thankful for them and pray for them. We must also recognise those who are seeking to ensure that the worlds resources are much better spread – In a world of plentiful resources too many are still in need.
But above all we must also recognise where our gifts ultimately come from – our gifts come from God, and there is nothing that we can do by ourselves to earn these gifts. The gifts we have are gifts of love from the God of love. The gifts we have are from the one who hopes for a response but doesn’t demand it.
The gift of eternal life can’t be earned but is one that is freely available. By ourselves we can do very little but with God on our side we can do anything.
As we celebrate harvest we celebrate the fact that we were never created to live in a bubble by ourselves but in relationship with God and with other people. The greatest demand of the gospel is love.
With the combination of love and God the world can be changed. With the combination of love and God and us, we will play our part in that change. As we give thanks for the harvest we remember those who bring our food to us, those who are prosperous and those who struggle, and appreciating them may we play our part in being someone to appreciate ourselves.
In the words of the psalm today (67), ‘let the people praise you O God; let all the peoples praise you. The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.’ AMEN
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