Wednesday, October 9

The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need. (Acts 4: 32 -35, The Message Bible)

        Come, ye thankful people, come, 

        raise the song of harvest home;

        all is safely gathered in,
        ere the winter storms begin.
        God our Maker doth provide
        for our wants to be supplied
        come to God's own temple, come
        raise the song of harvest home. (Henry Alford, 1844)

           I have always appreciated that we, Canadians, celebrate our Thanksgiving in early October as opposed to the American version in November on the cusp of Advent. It stands alone. It has always been one of my favourite traditions of the year. Its simple theme of appreciation, praise and gratitude for all that life has to offer needs little, other embellishment or enhancement as do some of the other holidays.

In all my churches where I pastored, on Thanksgiving Sunday, the communion table would be laden to overflowing on the floor with the fruits and vegetables of a generous harvest. Pumpkins, squash, apples, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, even loaves of bread, bags of rice and flour - you name it and there were ample goods on display. My little, first church in Wainfleet was the best at it.  The whole altar area was bursting in an abundance of harvest. It was like a farmer’s market had exploded.

The better part happened after Thanksgiving was “over” although we should never cease being thankful for all things. It was the custom in all my churches to box up and give the produce over to shelters and food banks. In the case of Wainfleet, we shared with the bounty with couple of the more needy families in the church. But the food never went to waste.

If I were to ask myself, what exactly is a “harvest home” referred to in the hymn, I would point to the act of sharing from our bounty. It is the model we can read about in our text from Acts. The Jerusalem Christian church, still in its infant stage of existence, celebrates its new life in Christ by an unequalled display of generosity. “They shared everything.”

It is almost impossible to imagine. We pride ourselves in ownership. We own our houses, cars, cottages, appliances, computers and so on. I am very grateful for all the stuff I own and count myself blessed. But the idea of selling everything and gifting the proceeds to others seems over-the-top, a crazy thing to do. Yes, Jesus, said to a rich man, “Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Luke  18: 22) But most of us usually rationalize this astonishing statement  to mean that we shouldn’t  be prisoner to our wealth. Fair enough, but let’s not slide out of Jesus’ expectation that we are to be generous, compassionate, empathetic and liberal with our giving.  It may have been that very verse which was the impetus for the early Christians in Jerusalem. They were a living example of creating a harvest home.

 A harvest home is a home where all are welcome from the very least to the very privileged.  A harvest home is a safe haven which offers comfort, blessings, hope, joy, peace and love. A harvest home has no locked doors to shut people out. A harvest home has a candle burning in the window. A harvest home has a place at the dining room table for everyone. A harvest home is replete with the aromas of food and drink, the sound of laughter, the embrace of love.  A harvest home is the shelter in the storms of life.  A harvest home is a sacred space where all are safely gathered in.

Not just our churches, but our family homes as well.

So let us all be thankful this weekend. God has provided.  Enjoy. Celebrate God’s goodness. Then pass it on! It’ll make the turkey taste that much better!

            Even so, Lord, quickly come,
            bring thy final harvest home;
            gather thou thy people in,
            free from sorrow, free from sin,
            there, forever purified,
            in thy presence to abide;
            come, with all thine angels, come,
            raise the glorious harvest home.

 Dale

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

“But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3: 12 -14, New Living Translation)

                I turned 73 years old yesterday. I don’t feel a day over 72. It was a great birthday – four baseball playoff games to watch and Susan made me a raisin pie, one of my favourites. Life can’t get much better.

                It has got me to thinking about what may be left on my “bucket list,” those aspirations, ambitions or things to do or see before one dies. No, I do not want to parachute out of a plane, kayak down rapids or scale Mt. Everest. But I would like to see, in person, a World Series’ game, preferably with the Blue Jays in it (LOL). I would like to visit Scotland, Spain and Australia. I would like to go to baseball’s annual All-Star game.

                But when I come to think of it, I have done some pretty cool things in my 73 years. I have been to the Middle East and the Holy Land, Indonesia, Rome and London (England). I have been to Spring Training games and Baseball’s Hall of Fame. I have preached at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in Toronto, one of the leading pulpits in Canada. I have travelled across Canada from coast to coast, save for Labrador, NWT and the Yukon. That’s just a few things I have done or seen. My bucket may not be quite full yet, but I may need a larger bucket for what may yet come. I ain’t dead yet!!!

                I first learned the Philippians' verses as a young boy in my home church in Belleville. They were the theme verses for our Tyro boys’ group. Consequently, they have remained my personal, scriptural, life’s encouragement ever since. In recognizing that I am never finished in life, never totally complete. never totally having  arrived, never done with life,  never having completely achieved all that I could, I am to press on, strive to be better, look forwards to the future,  “I press on to reach the end of the race…”

                Now, I admit that I have become pretty lazy in my retirement.  Arthritis keeps me from running many races or doing the things I used to do such as gardening and the like. But Paul is not referring me to join an actual marathon but rather to keep my attitude focused on the future and to remain open to new possibilities in the areas of my faith and practice. I can’t change the past but I can shape, with God’s help, my future. “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” (1 Corinthians 9:24)

                Sometimes, in sports, children get a medal for just participating, whether they win or lose or anyone keeps score at all. That’s nice. But I think Paul is suggesting that there is more to Christianity than mere participation, just going through the motions, doing the least so that we can make into God’s Hall of Fame. Paul is not encouraging us to do the minimum but to strive for being better, to strain in doing good, to go-all-out in our Christian endeavours. “Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.” (1 Corinthians 3: 12 -14, The Message Bible)

                As long as we are alive and kicking, no matter our age, we can all strive to live lives that are worthy of the prize.

                “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4: 7 - 8)

                Somebody, pass me my running shoes!

Dale