Coco Calling No.211 - A Very Special Harvest

Peace in our small village has recently been shattered by a herd of metal dragons which have been marauding up and down our usually quiet lanes. They roar and they shake; they splutter, and they rattle, and I really don’t like the look of them at all! My owner refers to these beasts as “tractors,” and they appear to have been both tamed and trained by daredevil humans who need their help for the harvest.

Deere

And this all set my brain cells whirling because human farming and growing food are rather like the Christian faith. For unless you humans are prepared to work with what you’ve been given, (dragons and all), you’re very unlikely to get good results. So God provides you all with soil, seed, sunshine and rain, but then it’s down to you if you want to make something happen. So the more intelligent humans start to get busy as they plough and they sow; they feed and they protect; and then finally, they harvest after having trained these dragons to help them with their work.

So what about the Christian faith then? Well, in this country, humans are free to go to church without any fear of persecution. You can read Bibles if you wish, and you can also pray. But most importantly of all, you’ve all been given something else as well…. -the tiny mustard seed of faith that God has planted inside us all. That little magic seed that’s waiting to burst into life to further our spiritual growth and development. And Harvest Festival time is one of those special occasions in the Christian calendar when we’re all encouraged to make this happen. So that those of us with plenty are reminded to give to others less fortunate. And for humans that might mean supporting the local foodbank or making a donation to a charity that feeds the hungry and the poor.

Jesus was uniquely special because His work was always for the benefit of others and never for Himself. And as Christians we’re asked to do our very best to follow His example. And it’s not always about feeding hungry stomachs; all around us, every day, we mingle with others who are starved of spiritual food even when they’re not aware of it. Too many of us are shy about our personal faith for fear of being judged. And that helps no one. Instead we can help God with His harvest here on Earth in some very simple ways. Maybe by praying for others or by talking about our faith outside our usual Christian circles. And if you’re a human, there’s something very important that you can easily do. Yes, you can simply invite a friend, a neighbour or a family member along with you to church. Something as simple as that has the potential to change a life for ever, and help fulfil God’s very special harvest…

“Then He (Jesus) said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but theworkers are few’.”

(Matthew 9: 37)