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Dear friends,
Some sounds belong to specific seasons: the call of the first cuckoo in Spring;
and the roar of rutting stags in Autumn. Between these two magical sounds
comes another: the weather moans of the great British summer. These can
be heard on all but the hottest days and you will recogize them as soon as you
hear them:-
"It's not been much of a summer, has it ?" "Bank holiday's coming- it's bound
to rain !" "The nights are drawing in..."
Forgotten are the six weeks of hot sunshine and parched ground that dominated
May and June. Forgotten is the fact that sunshine and showers create the very
best growing conditions for crops and flowers. Forgotten are the half-empty
reservoirs that supply the taps in our bathrooms.
Perhaps weather moans have always been part of our British culture, or perhaps they are a symptom of something more serious: our growing ignorance of the needs, gifts, fragility and vulnerability of this earth that sustains us; and our selfish indifference to the crises being experienced daily by communities in Somalia that have seen no rain in seven years. There really is no excuse for the weather moans of this season. In late summer and autumn we should hear a very different song. As the psalmist put it: 'songs of joy'.
Over the past decade or so it has been sad to witness the slow death of our traditional British harvest festival, because we need this annual reminder of the generosity of God in creating a world in which He calls us to be His partners; in which He calls us to rejoice over the blessings of food and water; and in which He calls us to share such blessings with those who will not appreciate them unless we do.
The psalmist continues, and in every line he celebrates the gift of water! :-
'You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with corn, for so You have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its crops.'
Here are some suggestions for the next time you experience a heavy downpour in summer:-
1. Go outside and dance in the rain, ignoring the stares of your neighbours.
2. Set out a few wine glasses on your garden table and collect some rainwater to drink with your meal, giving thanks to God for the rain that day. This is an excellent exercise during a BBQ !
3. As soon as the shower is over, go outside and listen to the grateful earth swallowing. This is one of the best sounds you will ever hear, but it only works well when the ground has been very dry and the rain has been shortlived, but heavy.
And here are one or two suggestions for harvest:-
1. If you have a tiny plot of ground, grow something specifically for harvest. Each day of spring and summer, as you tend and water it, you will find yourself giving thanks. This works very well with children.
2. Even if you have no garden, grow some mustard and cress on a windowsill to bring along to church on harvest Sunday.
3. If you are too busy to do either of the above, you are too busy. However, when you are shopping just before harvest, look for the very best produce, making sure it has been grown locally, and bring it along to give thanks.
The last word must go to the psalmist:-
'You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; The hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with corn; They shout for joy and sing.'
Every blessing,
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