Old Brampton Church
Dear friends,
The holiday season is over, the children are back at school, the nights are drawing in and the heating switched on. Most of our activities will soon be based indoors. Our thoughts will soon turn to warm fires and comfort food. The season of autumn is here, and what a truly beautiful and wondrous season it is. The trees will soon look as though our bountiful creator has been hard at work with a paint brush of many colours. The leaves will soon be falling, providing us with a crisp carpet of numerous shades of gold, orange and red. It is a season of change and thanksgiving.
John Keats poem ‘Ode to autumn’ reminds us that this is the ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’.
The poem speaks of the super abundance of fruit and vegetables ripened by the sun. Keats enables us to picture vines loaded with grapes, trees groaning under the weight of the fruit. He helps us to visualise vegetables, mature and mellow, ready to be picked and eaten, and to appreciate the total beauty of the season.
By the end of this month most of the fruit will have ripened and been picked from our gardens, allotments and orchards. Farmers will have harvested their crops. Barns, larders and freezers will be packed full of the fruits of the earth. But we do not have to be farmers or gardeners to appreciate the super abundance of fruit and vegetables that is available to us in this part of the world. We only have to visit the supermarket to see the amazing display of goods from both home and abroad. Fruit and vegetables are now available at any time of year, whatever the season. We are able to buy exotic fruits and vegetables that were unknown to us only a few years ago.
We are very fortunate to be surrounded by such abundance.
We are very fortunate to be surrounded by such a generous God. So let us give him our very grateful thanks for all his gifts to us.
Let us also give thanks for all who work to provide us with our food. Firstly, the producers and farmers, many of whom, struggle to make a living, particularly those hit by the recent devastating floods, when many crops were ruined. And also let us also give thanks for the people who provide the logistics of transporting the goods around the world, and those who serve us in shops and markets.
And let us also remember and give thanks for all those who work so hard in third world countries to provide us with the goods that we see in the shops today. Many of whom are not surrounded by abundance. Many struggle to grow their own food and to keep their families healthy; and many make a meagre living by working to supply us with the very foods and goods that we have in abundance.
And yet, many who do not have material wealth, either in this country or overseas are still able to demonstrate their Christian faith with spiritual abundance. They are still able to give thanks to God for his goodness to us and so often their lives demonstrate the kind of faith that is an encouragement to us all.
In scripture the spiritual life and growth of believers is likened to a fruit bearing tree. As the fruit is evidence of the health and vigour of the tree, so the believer’s life, attitudes and behaviour reflect the faith of that person. And St Paul gives us a clue by telling us that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
I believe that this beautiful season of autumn, this season of change and thanksgiving is an ideal opportunity for each one of us not only to give thanks for all of God’s gifts to us, but it is alsoan ideal opportunity for us to ask ourselves if the spiritual fruit that we bear is healthy, and if not, how we can change and become more healthy and more fruitful. We will then be more enabled to encourage those with whom we come into contact to also find the love that we share with our gracious, generous God.
I do hope that you will all be able to appreciate this beautiful season with grateful and joyful hearts.
Yours in Christ,
Celia