Wheat, the Harvest Boon, & Thanksgiving

 

1 We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,

but it is fed and watered by your almighty hand;

you send the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,

the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above;

we thank you, God, O holy God, for all your love.

                               Voices United 520

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.  But God gives it a body as he has chosen and to each kind of seed its own body.

                           I Corinthians 15: 35-38

There has been so much bleak climate news is 2022 but there is a good news story which is made in Canada. Our prairie provinces experienced a growing season sweet spot which resulted in a bumper wheat crop.Ukraine is often described as the breadbasket of the world but the catastrophic invasion by Russia has meant that both this year's crops and exports of last year's grain have suffered, resulting in hunger in some parts of the world and rising prices for products elswhere. Other big wheat-producing countries such as France have experienced drought which will result in meagre yields this year. 

This Canadian bounty is important enough to garner the front page of the Globe and Mail newspaper business section this weekend along with a two-page illustrated spread inside. We've hung on to the notion of expressing gratitude over our Thanksgiving but increasingly the holiday has become unmoored from the harvest. There are still communities of faith which sing the harvest hymns and dress up sanctuaries but that is going by the wayside as well. 

I hope we can reconnect giving thanks to the provision of food on our tables this weekend and every day. Many Canadians are struggling with soaring food costs and pasta, a wheat product which is a go-to for those with limited incomes, leads the list in increases. Its important for all of us who enjoy food security to be as generous as possible to those in need. We can also take a moment to appreciate those who are involved in agriculture and have found the past few years chaotic and discouraging. 

Where is the best place to express collective gratitude to God, the Creator? Around our dinner tables makes sense, but why not find our way to a place of worship tomorrow morning to sing and pray and ponder our blessings, including the food we eat?