Over recent weeks I have been privileged to travel across Presbytery meeting up with Kirk Sessions and congregations. As someone brought up on a farm, I have a great fondness for this time of year. The countryside is looking glorious, with the wonderful colours of autumn starting to emerge. And the sight and sound of a combine harvester always brings back good memories for me.
Harvest time can be a very visible reminder of the faithfulness of God in his provision for us. As the psalmist declares, God gives what is good. We are dependent upon that goodness and on the promise of God that 'as long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.'
The heart of the story of Ruth is set in the midst of the barley harvest. It is a story packed full of faithfulness. There are the faithful actions of a daughter-in-law, choosing to stick with her mother-in-law and seeking to provide for them both through incredibly hard work. There are the faithful actions of a farmer, who not only observes God's laws, so that the most vulnerable in the community can have access to food, but who steps up into the role of kinsman redeemer, rescuing Ruth and Naomi, from their circumstances. And there are the faithful actions of a God who weaves the story of ordinary people into his own story of redemption for humanity. I love that Boaz and Ruth's son is the grandfather of David, and that they appear in the genealogy of Jesus.
As each of us tries to work out what living faithfully means in our particular circumstances and in this current age, it is good to be reminded of two things. First, no matter what happens, God's faithfulness is unchanging. He will never leave us nor forsake us - thankfully. Second, being faithful in the small things matters. As Paul puts it, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
As we gather on Saturday, there is an opportunity to encourage one another in our desire to be faithful with all that God has given to us and with all that God is calling us to be and do. And hopefully as we discuss and learn together, we will once again see God's own faithfulness to His people and His world.
Rev Stella
"Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest."
Psalm 85
The earth has yielded its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
God blesses us,
that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Psalm 67
"Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6
