The Gift That Keeps On Giving

At harvest time we are thankful for the gifts we have received — from the earth, from God, and from one another. We are going to link back to a past Sanctuary First theme Guard the Good and focus on a story Jesus told known as the ‘Parable of the sower’. It’s a punchy, memorable tale with lots to say about agriculture, gifts and grace.

As part of our reflections we will be remembering the people and places that produce the food we rely on.We will think about sowing, protecting the crop, and harvesting in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Many of us have become disconnected from the gifts of the land, having become reliant on complex supply chains that alienate us from the process.

There’s often a temptation in Christian communities to divide the ‘spiritual’ gifts of insight and discernment from the everyday ‘giftedness’ of reality. We might get a fuller appreciation of the spiritual gifts we have received from God if we see them as an integral part of the radical gift that is creation itself.

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