Thought for the Month October 2026

It’s Harvest Festival season again in churches throughout the land, a time to give thanks for God’s bounty. There will have been relief for farmers this year, who still had fields to harvest and not destroyed by this summer’s wildfires. For others the story will have been very different.

During this past summer I’m sure we’ve all seen the satellite pictures of vast areas of land, that normally show up green and vibrant, looking dried up and brown or worse still on fire. Those of us fortunate enough to have gardens will have watched the grass dry up and whither and wonder if it will ever recover. As I go on my early morning walk, I’ve wondered the same about the – far too few – grassy areas around the estate where I live. The good news is that all seems to be recovering well, and soon the green grasses of the land will be complimented by all the beautiful colours of the Autumn season.

As I was thinking about this, the effects of global warming and affect mankind is having on the environment in general, I was reminded of the events that occurred on Bikini Atoll when, in June 1946, Nuclear weapons testing began on the Island. The residents were moved away and the subsequent environmental impact on the island was devastating, all life, it seemed, had been destroyed. To this day the island is not suitable for human habitation due to residual radiation from the nuclear testing. And yet, life has returned to the island with vegetation, marine and terrestrial life all thriving.

Sometimes we are amazed at the resilience of nature given all that mankind throws at it. But should we be? After all, nature is God’s creation. In the book of Genesis we read, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Gen 8: 22). Earlier in the book God gave man the job of working and taking care of his creation. (Gen 2:15).

It seems to me that God is keeping his side of the bargain. Perhaps we could all do better at keeping ours?

Steve

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

But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand,

He sends the snow in winter the warmth to swell the grain,

The breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain”