Harvest

Just in case any of you lovely readers have read my previous blogs and felt the lows and highs of my Apricot tree, I have to report I have had an amazing crop of truly delicious fruit! Jam has been made, tarts enjoyed and there’s lots in the freezer to make chutney in a few weeks, as well as sharing my bounty with family and friends. Now it’s the wonderful pink raspberries that are taking my time. In October, Oasis will be hosting a coffee morning for Cancer Research and I will be selling my lovely pink jams then. So, put 20 October in your diaries and join in the fun.
 
I have been fortunate to drive through both the French and English countrysides over the last few weeks. The farmers have been working so hard to bring in the harvest before it is ruined by the weather. I love seeing the bales sitting in the fields waiting to be collected and stacked; it seems quite satisfying. The sunflowers are a blaze of yellow heads, acres of them soaking up the sun. So, when I open a bag of flour to bake or pour some oil into the pan to cook, I must remember the hard work that has gone into producing these things.
 
The bible talks a lot about harvest, and Jesus uses it to show how important it is that we do our share in spreading the gospel and getting more people involved. It’s an enormous task and we should never be complacent about our part in it. We need to push boundaries, challenge ourselves and go where Jesus sends us, just as he did the seventy-two.
 
In Luke chapter 10 it says “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”” Jesus says it as it is; without committed action the harvest can’t be completed. We are these workers too, and when asked we need to be ready to step out of our comfort zones and get stuck into the harvest. Maybe there will be opportunities in this coming term to do just that.
 
Lord Jesus, help us to listen to you and be ready to step out for the sake of the gospel. Amen