Some of our oldest rituals are closely linked to the cycle of nature. It was considered to be vital to appease the nature gods. Our life on the planet was dependent on their happy disposition. How things have changed! In this day and age, very complex science shapes the development of our crops, and satellites beam down information to us from weather forecasts to the remote steering of machinery. Yes, a lot has changed, and yet there is a growing wish to reconnect with the soil. We like the sound of ‘Mother Earth’.  

Every ancient culture had its own way of celebrating harvest. The origins of our celebrations take us back into the Old Testament – particularly the Book of Deuteronomy. The Israelites were on the brink of a huge change in their fortunes. After years of wandering in the desert, they were about to enter the fertile land that lay to the west of the Jordan River – a land flowing with milk and honey. At that crucial time in their history, God instructs them about how to keep future Harvest Festivals. The dominant theme was thanksgiving, but more than that it was about being grateful. Thanksgiving and gratitude may seem like the same thing, but there is a difference. If someone did something for me, or gave me something, I would hopefully thank them. My thankfulness would be an expression of being pleased. But being grateful has the added sense to it of ‘I owe you one’. Being grateful often relates to being at the receiving end of something important – something vital. I might be thankful for my health every day, but if I had been ill and in recovery I wouldn’t be so much thankful for my health as grateful. This sense of gratitude acknowledges an indebtedness to those who have helped my recover. Gratitude also suggests that I am in possession of something important that I won’t take for granted.

In our Harvest Festival let us be both thankful and grateful, and may our generosity of spirit reach out both to God and all those who provide us with our food. Let us also allow a deep sense of gratitude to shape our thoughts towards Mother Earth. Joyfully, let us address our God, one another, and Nature and say, ‘We owe you one’.