A Meditation for Trinity 18 – Harvest 2026
Collect
Joel 2: 21-27
21 Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things!
22 Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
23 Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
Reflection
The Prophet is speaking to a people who are living under threat of famine and drought caused by a plague of locusts. The earlier Chapters of Joel’s prophecy are a call for the people to repent, for they have strayed far away from the Lord, and as a result, the locusts have destroyed the land. Joel calls on them to repent, then the evil doers will be punished and the penitent will be saved. With repentance will come the harvest.
However, given the various enemies of Judah; Babylon, the Medes and Persians, not to mention the corruption of some of its leaders themselves, it is reasonable to understand the prophet referring not to insects but humans, and relevant to New Testament stories of persecution by Greeks, Romans and legalistic religious hierarchies.
Going further, and clearly in our own times, the human locust swarm threatens to destroy everything in its way. We live in a time of the growth of extremist political philosophies and associated leadership to an extent reminiscent of the Nineteen Thirties; climate change and ensuing increasingly severe weather; uncontrolled (and possibly uncontrollable) technological ‘progress’; a society driven by ‘money’ rather than ‘wealth’; and the resurgence of sectarian, racist, misogynistic and unaddressed toxic domestic and gender-based violence.
It is hard to see God’s love for His people in all of this – or is it?
Depends on where we look.
We can withdraw into our comfort blankets and pretend that the locusts will just fly away – or we can choose to be grateful that we have a saviour whose ultimate victory is certain, and celebrate our life as free children of our Creator God.
We do so by giving thanks for the gift of our harvest by decorating our churches, by giving thanks for God’s response to our prayers at ploughing and growing, most of all by giving thanks by living as Christ’s body on Earth and refusing to be silent when we see hatred and injustice in the world around us. We choose love, and the locusts will fail in their intention to destroy the beauty of the earth – instead they will wither and perish
Through Christ, we have a harvest of life. Let us use it for His glory.
Praying Together 15th February 2026
Perhaps, when we pray, we need to remember it is the Jesus on the Mountain to whom we address our prayers, the one whose face shines like the sun and transfigures our faces as we radiate in His light.
Praying Together February 8th 2026
Is Jesus suggesting, not to eat and drink? And is he saying we should not wear clothes but go naked?
How unrealistic is this, and how depressing – we need to eat and drink, and we need clothing.
Praying Together February 1st 2026
Christ’s words are given to all His people in the face of the difficulties we ourselves face in life. We claim them and are assured of Blessing. And that is all we need.
Praying Together January 25th 2026
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Praying Together 18th January 2026
In prayer, we ask: Who is God calling to come and use their specific individual gifts to continue to build His Kingdom in the future?
His reply is clear.
“You”, He says.
Praying Together 11 January 2026
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Praying Together 21st December 2025
Joseph’s example is one of love, human reaction, vocation and ultimate obedience to his Creator. So we rightly celebrate both Mary and Joseph as the chosen parents of the Christ-child. But we must also remember that they were ordinary people with human emotions who lived extraordinary lives.
Praying Together December 7th 2025
By your grace we have the gift of the Scriptures. With the help your grace, may we listen deeply to what you want to say to each one of us. May we know your gifts of endurance, encouragement and hope, so that not only our lips but also our lives may be a song in praise of your mercy.
Praying Together November 30th November 2025
The significance of the Themes and Candles we light during the Advent Season.
Praying Together 23rd November 2025
We celebrate the beginning of the story in Advent – but before we do, it is equally important to celebrate the final act of Coronation. The Gospel proclaims that Jesus is King.
Praying Together 16th November 2025
In ways, the Christian Journey is like a race – a Marathon, not a sprint. The key is endurance, Jesus says. There will be mountains to climb, tears and heartache in the depths of your soul, and it will sometimes feel like it’s impossible to carry on. But the world will continue, and end only in God’s good time.
Praying Together 9th November 2025
Every selfless act honours our Christ. In Him, we are one. Whoever we are. We are all His family, and violence against each other is violence against Him.