It may seem a little odd that our hymnal has a number of harvest songs. (We live in Florida, where the leaves don’t change on the calendar’s command, and Fall doesn’t always seem like harvest time with golden fields and earlier evenings.) But, being here in a community where citrus was king for nearly a century, our souls might be stirred by a song entitled “For the Fruit of All Creation.”
The editor’s note with Hymn 36 in our Glory to God Hymnal tells us that this song was originally called “Harvest Time”, and yet has a more comprehensive feel.
For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God…….
For the plowing, sewing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thank be to God.
We do watch the groves for wonderful fruit that comes to fruition in the combined efforts of the grower and the grower’s God. And the trust that we develop waiting for the fruit to ripen, is a lesson in faith and life.
Prayer
Thanks be to you, O God, for the miracle of life that emerges from plowing, sewing, and silent growth. Thank you for feeding us in body and spirit. Amen.
