WHAT WILL THE HARVEST BE?

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 79, 14 March 1936, Page 8

WHAT WILL THE HARVEST BE?

(By the Rev. F. C. Truman, 8.A., Vicar of Hauraki Plains.)

Text: Galatians vi. 7. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. To the well instructed Churchman it may seem a strange fact that in the country districts the most popular festival of the year is one not mentioned in the Church’s Kalendar —the Harvest Festival. We keen Christmas, tho festival of the Nativity, we remember Christ’s death on Good Friday, we celebrate the Easter triumph and pass on to the Ascension often with but moderate congregations, yet when Father Time points the hand to the harvest tide we find the Churches full, and one sometimes wonder why. Perhaps it is because the Harvest Festival is one all can understand and appreciate, and, further, country people have genuine cause to be thankful. The Harvest Festival reminds us of God’s unfailing promise that 'while th e earth remaineth seed time and harvest shall not cease.’ With al] the troubles and difficulties of the age, the very last that seems likely to happen is a famine. The years march on, and with the utmost regularity comes the planting, the cultivation and the harvest. Then with the application of science to agricultural machinery and with the development scientific methods of farming, there has taken place a vast increase in production, so now famine seems well nigh impossible; in faet, we talk about over-production which is really under consumption, all of which emphasises the reality of God's promise that while the earth remaineth seed time and harvest shall not cease. It is therefore natural that we should return thanks to God for all His mercies, hut that expression of thanks should he "not only with our lips but in our Jives.” Do wo then take al] without any thought of gratitude to the Giver? Now in the New Testament, not only in the teachings of Christ, but also in the apostolic writings the work of the farmer is applied to sniritual life and St. Paul says that "whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” Such a text seems so simple and so self- evident that it scarcely needs emphasising or even mentioning. Of course, what we sow we expect to reap, who would sow wheat and expect to reap maize? Yet apply this to human life. How often do we hear the expression: "Oh! he’s just sowing his wild oats, lie will he all right when he settles down”l That is simply self-deception. God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. Sow wild oats and you will reap the mn’-opnatn harvest. Many a person thinks that God forgets or does not know. They imagine they can sow any kind of seed and reap a satisfactory harvest. But make no mistake, you cannot sow folly and rean wisdom. You cannot sow excess and reap health and strength, you cannot sow neglect and reap the rewards of duty. Sow for the Devil and you will reap the Devil’s nay. Sow for God and von will reap His reward. You can deceive your friends, your parents, your own selves, but God is not mocked. If you begin by having no faith in God you end by losing faith in nearly everything. The sceptic becomes the cynic. Lose your faith in the goodness of the Heavenly Father and presently you lose your faith in your friends. Fling away God’s love and you fling away human love. Sow the seed of an evil tongue and a harvest will grow of its own kind. But a good seed yields a good harvest. Pure thoughts bring n vision of God. Love begets love, respect wins respect, honour reaps honour. Prayers reap a rich harvest of trust and a courage which faces dif-

ficulties. Duty honestly done Jsrings a quiet consciense and a victory over fear. Now a wonderful thing about human life is this: God has placed within us the seeds He desires us to grow. Think of the qualities of children. Think of their trust in God, of the spontaneous love of God, think of their simple prayers. There are the God planted seeds in us, yet the tragedy is that in many an adult one can see at a glance the seeds have failed to develop. One can believe they are not dead but dormant, like tho wheat found in the ancient Egyptian tombs and once a natural environment is found they will spring up. So harvest-tide is a time for introspection and quiet thought about the harvest we are bringing forward to God. The atmosphere of a brightly decorated church, the harvest hymns all suggest a spirit of thankfulness, an t mny tiat essenrnl iw.’c be uppermost. Yet the thought of the harvest strikes deep e . In all things, particularly in religion, be genuine, avoid cant and humbug, "Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.”