A Note from Pastor Andrew
“Cornucopia” is one of my favorite words. It comes from the Latin “Cornu” (Horn) and “Copia” (Abundance): A Horn of Abundance. Though it has multiple origin stories from Greco-Roman Mythology, the cornucopia was a woven basket used to collect fruits and
vegetables in Europe and Western Asia during the harvest. The time of harvest was, and still is, a time of celebration. All the hard work of preparing the soil, planting the seeds, and caring for the crops culminates in the harvest. However, for those of us who do most of our shopping at grocery stores, we probably don’t appreciate the profundity of this season. We can peruse the “fresh” section of the store to find all sorts of fruits and vegetables in and out of season because we can have these foods shipped and refrigerated from all parts of the globe.
And therefore, because harvest is such a major theme in scripture, I imagine we may not always fully appreciate the words of the Torah...
“You shall observe the Festival of Harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field.”
Or the words of the prophets...
“The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies...but those who harvest it shall eat it and praise the Lord.”
Or the words of Jesus...
“But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.”
This harvest meant so much, not only to farmers, but all people who saw their store houses depleted, the markets bare, waiting for the harvest to be brought in so they would wonder no more if they would have their “daily bread.” Of course, some harvests were not so plentiful, which meant less grain for bread, which meant people paid more for less because of the demand, which meant more people slipping into poverty, which meant being hungry once again far before another field would be harvested. I imagine, if we have a difficult time connecting to themes of harvest and plenty, we may not have such a difficult time relating to want. Especially as we receive news of the third quarter GDP, we may have similar thoughts of our ancestors of faith whose harvests lacked such bounty.
As your pastor, I pray for those whose storehouses are full, to ask God how you might help those who are empty (and I’m not just talking about money). For those whose storehouses are bare, remember God’s promise and therefore have hope in the words of Jesus, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” May God’s mercy and grace guide you as we wait for Jesus to come again.
-Pastor Andrew