From the Pen of Rev Steve
Recent copies of the minister's letters from Rev Steve.
These are reproduced from the monthly Newsletter.
October 2024: Maybe my harvest thanksgiving has been too narrow?
Children have returned to school, the town's festivals have ended and the nights are drawing in, they all mean one thing… that the summer is over. Whilst we enjoy a last hurrah of warm weather the week I write this we know that the inevitable change in air temperature is as inevitable as day following night. I heard a talk the other day waxing lyrical about the “joys of autumn”, not a sentiment I would necessarily adhere to. So I use this letter to reflect on the value of autumn.
I can hear you all responding that autumn is beautiful, with the diversity of colours on the leaves, the rich provision it affords us to see us through the winter. This we will acknowledge in our harvest festival, giving thanks to God. Yet I am always mindful of the season being an end to the lazy days of summer. Perhaps it is associated with my role as a Methodist minister and seeing September as the start of another Methodist year. That to me is associated with more meetings, responsibility and work. It seems that my thankfulness is tainted by responsibility…. A reboot is required!
A part of the harvest celebrations is that sense of gratitude for what we have received. After all, we often sing the familiar words, “Come ye thankful people come, raise the song of harvest home”. Maybe each autumn before the inevitable meetings and responsibility should come a period of reflection, taking stock for what has been, and then giving thanks for it. Gratitude is a state of mind that can be channelled or encouraged through nurture. If we start our day with a thankful heart, it can stay with us the rest of the day. So a simple prayer in the morning such as this simple one from my favourite prayer book would help.
Lord teach me to trust your providence
Guide my thoughts and actions
To accept the gift of this new day with hope
That has to set you up such that each encounter has the potential for thankfulness. Then when we get to the end of the day we may have a further simple prayer valuing the day and what it has brought and taught us.
Maybe my harvest thanksgiving has been too narrow, seeing little beyond the displayed produce. Instead my harvest gratitude should extend to what I have seen and appreciated since the last harvest, through my interactions with others, through my own journey in nature, through my encounters with God. That way when I get to September I don’t major on the work and responsibilities, but instead see opportunities for thankfulness in all that I do.
Then I can ask the following questions, (again from my favourite prayer book):
Every Blessing
Steve
I can hear you all responding that autumn is beautiful, with the diversity of colours on the leaves, the rich provision it affords us to see us through the winter. This we will acknowledge in our harvest festival, giving thanks to God. Yet I am always mindful of the season being an end to the lazy days of summer. Perhaps it is associated with my role as a Methodist minister and seeing September as the start of another Methodist year. That to me is associated with more meetings, responsibility and work. It seems that my thankfulness is tainted by responsibility…. A reboot is required!
A part of the harvest celebrations is that sense of gratitude for what we have received. After all, we often sing the familiar words, “Come ye thankful people come, raise the song of harvest home”. Maybe each autumn before the inevitable meetings and responsibility should come a period of reflection, taking stock for what has been, and then giving thanks for it. Gratitude is a state of mind that can be channelled or encouraged through nurture. If we start our day with a thankful heart, it can stay with us the rest of the day. So a simple prayer in the morning such as this simple one from my favourite prayer book would help.
Lord teach me to trust your providence
Guide my thoughts and actions
To accept the gift of this new day with hope
That has to set you up such that each encounter has the potential for thankfulness. Then when we get to the end of the day we may have a further simple prayer valuing the day and what it has brought and taught us.
Maybe my harvest thanksgiving has been too narrow, seeing little beyond the displayed produce. Instead my harvest gratitude should extend to what I have seen and appreciated since the last harvest, through my interactions with others, through my own journey in nature, through my encounters with God. That way when I get to September I don’t major on the work and responsibilities, but instead see opportunities for thankfulness in all that I do.
Then I can ask the following questions, (again from my favourite prayer book):
- Where will I need to be most positive and grateful today?
- How will loving kindness touch my day?
- How will I serve others?
- How will I allow others to care for me?
Every Blessing
Steve
From the Pen of Rev Steve
Each encounter has the potential for thankfulness