The Abundance of Jubilee
Yesterday Tom and I drove down from Portland Oregon to Eugene, past field after field of hay harvested and stacked. We also drove past fields of pumpkins ready for harvest. It made me realize that summer is indeed upon us, most of the harvest is in and we are storing up for winter. It reminded me too of this beautiful poem by Gerald Manley Hopkins:
SUMMER ends now; now, barbarous in beauty, the stooks arise
Around; up above, what wind-walks! what lovely behaviour
Of silk-sack clouds! has wilder, wilful-wavier
Meal-drift moulded ever and melted across skies?
I walk, I lift up, I lift up heart, eyes,
Down all that glory in the heavens to glean our Saviour;
And, éyes, heárt, what looks, what lips yet gave you a
Rapturous love’s greeting of realer, of rounder replies?
And the azurous hung hills are his world-wielding shoulder
Majestic—as a stallion stalwart, very-violet-sweet!
These things, these things were here and but the beholder
Wanting; which two when they once meet,
The heart rears wings bold and bolder
And hurls for him, O half hurls earth for him off under his feet.
And a few other resources you might like to check out:
1. This excellent is an excellent list of harvest resources from Christian Concern for One World. The organization is based in the UK so the resources all come from there but It gives some great suggestions for us to consider no matter where in the world we are.
2. Lord’s Prayer has some good resources from both Catholic and Anglican traditions as well as some prayers and craft suggestions for children.
3. My friend John Birch at Faith and Worship has this resource list as well as this great Harvest Thanksgiving liturgy.
4. And another beautiful prayer for the season.
And my own prayer for the season:
God we thank you for your harvest which feeds us so many times each day.
We are nourished with your forgiveness and hope
We are sustained with your strength and patience
We are filled with your grace and compassion
God we thank you for feeding us with a harvest of plenty
We are restored through your generosity and healing
We are replenished with your abundance and joy
We are reminded of your selfless abandon
God we thank you for feeding us with the bread of heaven
Your gift of Christ sustains our lives
His presence restores the promise of your love
His life fills our hearts with your everlasting light
God we thank you too for filling us with the water of life
May we drink deeply that our thirst may be quenched
May your river continue to flow
Over us, in us, through us
And out into the world you love.