Vicar's Letter

October 2024

Reverend Joy Cousans, vicar of the Church of St Mary The Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough.

On Sunday 6th October at 10am, we will celebrate Harvest Festival at St Mary's. I have happy memories of harvest time as a child. Picking blackberries from the hedgerows in the lanes; my Mum making jam from the fruit she'd grown in the garden; walking from our small village primary school to the church for a Harvest Service. There was a strong farming tradition and our church had a wonderful Harvest Supper with tables of food produced by the local farmers' wives. In church, which was decorated with local produce, we sang the old harvest hymns with great gusto. The celebration of harvest is a tradition which goes back to the earliest human societies. Most communities celebrated the food they had grown and gave thanks. In the book of Exodus, the Israelites had instructions to celebrate three harvest festivals- one for the end of the barley harvest, one for the wheat harvest and one for the grape harvest. Each time, once all the crops had been gathered, the community came together to celebrate the fruits of their labour. They offered the first fruits to God to give thanks for his provision. Then they partied, for a week at a time!

Most of us don't gather in the harvest as those agricultural communities did. That is why I think Harvest Festival is an important reminder of where our food comes from and what it takes to produce it. For Christians, our initial thanks go to God, who provides the necessary conditions for food to grow. Without the mix of sun and rain, pollinating insects and good soil the crops wouldn't flourish. The Lord's Prayer is a reminder that we shouldn't take these things for granted as we pray: 'Give us today our daily bread'. And our harvest hymns and liturgy focus on that sense of thanksgiving to God.

Another important aspect of Harvest Festival is to remember and give thanks for all those who have been involved in our food production: farmers, suppliers, shop workers and seafarers to name but a few. Without the hard work of many people from around the world, we would not be able to enjoy such a vast range of food and drink. In her book 'The Farmer's Wife', Helen Rebanks tells her story of raising her family and making a living from farming on the fells of the Lake District. It is hard, relentless work in which the family are committed to regenerative farming methods. But in order to survive they need the support of the consumer- that is you and me. Helen writes: 'Being a farmer's wife has changed my relationship to food. I have always been interested in cooking and baking, but when I was young I didn't think much about where the ingredients came from. I fell into the habit of shopping thoughtlessly...I didn't properly understand the consequences of my actions. But we now know beyond doubt that cheap food from bad farming wrecks the world.'

Harvest festival is a time to give thanks for the food we enjoy. It's also an opportunity to reflect on how we shop and the effects of our buying power on those who produce our food. What are the consequences if we buy intensively farmed food on the people and livestock who produced it and on the environment? You are invited to join us for Harvest Festival, as we celebrate and to give thanks. St Mary's Harvest Coffee Morning is on Saturday 5th October 10.30-12.00. Harvest Festival is at 10am on Sunday 6th October.

With every blessing,

Joy, Vicar of Eaton Bray with Edlesborough