The ‘season of mellow fruitfulness’ has arrived.  This week I have enjoyed one more of the joys of my front room, as mist has given way first to watery sunshine and then clear blue sky, encouraging me to tackle the prolific growth in my garden, and the weather forecaster tells me I should have done more.

Out from this setting my September has been typically busy, both with joyful worship and the facing of a new Connexional year - Methodist speak for 1st September. In the celebratory activity I have come to ‘Harvest Festivals’ time. It may be a fitting time for Churches to encourage people who have left us to come back to worship – the key is a personal invitation, a warm, but not over the top, welcome, and food! In the ancient text of Deuteronomy the people are encouraged to bring the first fruits of their harvest and give thank to God and then to party. The party is to be an inclusive happening, hosts responsibility to make sure that all know they are welcome, and particular attention is given to the widow, the orphan and the stranger. 

It may also be a good time for thanksgiving as we come to terms with ‘Credit Crunch’. One of the catch phrases from ‘Dad’s Army’ come to mind, was it ‘Don’t Panic’. Well that’s possibly good advice for those who have money and job, but for those who find themselves in the real pain place of loss of livelihood or repossessed house, while it still may be good sense not to panic, I suspect every bone in their body is feeling something different. It is a complex place we find ourselves in, and that is without beginning to think about those who begin from no home, no money, no food places in our world. You might think that with all these matters to give serious attention to we might call an end to wars and violence and divert both our energies and our resources to building a better world.

My serious question in it all was voiced in one of the many radio programmes I catch snippets of as I journey in my car, ‘What are the values that inform the way we deal with money?’ you might want to add ‘or life’. When I was working part of my ministry as an industrial chaplain, I would have put it his way, in what order of priority will we approach the ‘p’s, profit, process, possessions, playtime, pathway, product, people! I think that any way of life that does not put the well being of people, indeed all people, way out ahead is flawed. So if I understand money system at all, it seems to me that somewhere we have forgotten that it is a process developed to serve us, and now we seem at time to be serving it.

You’ll excuse me if I end by remembering that Jesus told a story about harvest time. The farmer’s barns were not big enough, so he built bigger barns gathered all his wealth and thought this is a good life, but then he was called to give account to the living God. Makes me think!

Thank God for the harvest, God whose name is love, and then lets work together to build a just and peaceful world.

Go well.

Yours in love,

Bill Anderson.