The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.’
[2 Corinthians 9: 6–9]
Our God gives to us abundantly, and God calls us to give abundantly. God gives to the poor and spreads blessings far and wide. We are called to do likewise. Harvest isn’t just about giving a little for those in need – though that is important – but about giving abundantly. As the passage from Corinthians states, we reap what we sow: if we are generous, the harvest will be too, but if we are sparing, so will be the harvest.
During the early lockdown we saw many people stockpiling toilet paper, flour, milk, tinned goods etc. Meanwhile, foodbanks were running low on essentials, and poorer families and pensioners were struggling to get basics. We all remember the video of the nurse distraught because she couldn’t find anything to eat for her tea because shelves were bare. People were hoarding, not sharing and sowing, so there was little to go around.
We don’t know what the future holds with regard to another lockdown, but we need to be more like those who gave what they had, rather than those who stockpiled. We need to give generously, not keep more than we need. I pray if we are ever in that situation again, things would be different.
Harvest God
we give our thanks and praise:
we have more than we need.
Help us to share what we have with others.
Help us to sow abundantly,
to give of our possessions and of ourselves
that people will see your generosity in us
and that the harvest will be abundant.
Amen
You can download a pdf of this Prayer for the Week here
Weekly Prayers for October 2020 by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Image: sowing seed – photo by Dương Trí on Unsplash
