Harvest Festival: A Festival of Gratitude
by mathe | Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 1:52 am | Life as I See it |
It is that time of the year again when the people of Britain (at least in schools and churches) remember God for the bountiful provisions and harvest that they received. This festival is celebrated every year after the harvest season. I was introduced to this special occasion only when I arrived here last year (I never heard of it before), when my boys were requested to bring food – whether fresh produce or tinned goods for their school Harvest Festivals. After the ceremonies, usually a short programme, the donated goods are in turn, given to charities for the less fortunate.
We celebrated Harvest in church three weeks ago. We arrived that morning to be greeted with gay decorations of fruits, vegetables and supermarket items adorning the windows of the church. Before the service started, kids lined up to offer more food and placed them at the platform where the pulpit is. There was an atmosphere of hushed anticipation and camaraderie, and my heart was so content and ready to worship.
My boys are also given this chance each year to be reminded and taught about God’s goodness to people. Because of this festival, we have the chance to discuss about God being involved daily in our lives – from sending the rain to keeping the plants healthy and fruitful. I hope the lessons of the Harvest Festival live on in their hearts until they become parents, too.
Now, I understand better the Feast of the Tabernacles, an Old Testament concept I used to read about but never quite grasped or appreciated the significance. It is actually of similar nature to our own Harvest Festival – a way to thank the Lord and acknowledge His goodness to His people.
This festival not only reminds us to be thankful but to be givers as well. The sight of abundance displayed in churches and schools reminds me of the fact that we are in a country where hunger is not a daily thing, and that there are people in more areas of the world that are not as lucky.
May the spirit of gratitude reside in our hearts not only at this time of the year but everyday. Even now (and especially now) that financial crisis has struck, we still have a lot to be thankful for.
Images: Thanks to Google Images
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Tags: Life as I See it
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Hello Mathe,
Good pictures. Congratulations, you’ve got 2 stars at Helium, just by your 4 articles….yehey!
Way to go. Kudos to you!