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REFLECTION
“Celebrate the harvest” is the theme for our reflection. To celebrate means to take part in special enjoyable activities in order to show that a particular occasion is important. It also means to acknowledge or commemorate a significant historical or happy day or event with a social gathering or enjoyable activity. Harvest is the gathering of things planted, a natural time of reaping in joy what has been produced during the year in an agricultural community. To celebrate the harvest means to acknowledge or mark the gathering of things planted as a special occasion with joyous activities. To celebrate the harvest also means to joyously and publicly mark one’s success or achievement. Again, joyfully acknowledging one’s success or achievement after an endeavour can also be said to be the celebration of the harvest. We shall reflect on the following point.
1. The harvest must be celebrated to glorify God.
2. The harvest must not be celebrated alone but with the less privileged.
3 The harvest must be celebrated as God’s blessing or reward for hard work.

Firstly, the harvest or success must be celebrated to glorify God. “For seven days celebrate the festival to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. (Deuteronomy 16:15) It is important to note that the festival or Feast of Tabernacles, like all the feasts, was instituted by God as a way of reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from Egypt. God is our sustainer, redeemer and the giver of both work and harvest (successes) therefore in all our harvest celebrations, we must first show gratitude to God or acknowledge His sovereignty and presence in our lives as the source of our success or achievements. It is for this reason, the Israelites were further told, “Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed: ¹⁷ Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you. (Deuteronomy 16:16-17). Beloved in the Lord, do you observe Thanksgiving services when God grants you success in your business or various endeavours? When celebrating your success or harvest, what kind of gift do you present to God as an acknowledgement of His faithfulness to you and your family. Many of us owe God the celebration of our harvests or achievements. If you carefully reflect on your life as you read this reflection, you will agree with me that God has granted us many successes and achievements. He has been faithful to us from the time of schooling to graduation, marriage, childbirth, employment, promotions and success in our businesses. How many times do we go to Church to make Thanksgiving offerings or donations commensurate with the harvest or success God has granted us. It is an act of ungratefulness and self-sufficiency to refuse or inadequately celebrate God or honour Him when He grants us a bountiful harvest or success after many years of toil. Isaiah admonishes us to “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. ⁵ Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. ⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” (Isaiah 12:4-6)

Secondly, one of the remarkable ways to celebrate the harvest, success or achievement is to celebrate it with the less privileged and vulnerable. “Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. (Deuteronomy 16:14). We must always remember that we are products of grace and “…we brought nothing into the world.., (1 Timothy 6:7). Formerly, we were also unemployed, destitute and less privileged but by God’s grace we are no longer in these situations. It is for this reason when we are celebrating the harvest or our success and achievements, we must not celebrate it alone with our immediate family members but invite the poor and less privileged to come to the table. We may celebrate our success or achievement by making special donations to the orphanage, prison or hospital. We can also go to the street and share food and clothing with the less privileged. The point is that let us remember our past and how far the Lord has brought us when celebrating the harvest and extend the blessings of the harvest to the less privileged. “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt (Remember that you were once destitute and less privileged). That is why I command you to do this”. (Deuteronomy 24:22)

Thirdly, after working hard for many months and years we need to make time to celebrate the harvest or success. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete. (Deuteronomy 16:15) This is a great motivation to be hardworking in every endeavour or sector we find ourselves. God rewards hard work with harvest and great joy. “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. ⁵ He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son (Proverbs 10:4-5). Dear friend, prayer and fasting can never replace hard work. Hard work with prayer and fasting will be crowned with harvest. The problem with some Africans is that we spend too much time doing the right thing at the wrong time. Instead of people working during the day or looking for work to do during the day, they rather visit prayer camps to pray all day while others are busy toiling. “Hard work and success” is a universal principle established by God since the days of Adam. If you are a lazy Christian who prays everyday you will remain poor but an unbeliever who works everyday will still be blessed. God is just in His dealings when it comes to His universal principles. The harvest is not for the lazy but for the diligent!

In Summary, we have deliberated on the theme “Celebrate the Harvest”. We have discovered that the harvest must be celebrated to glorify God, the harvest must not be celebrated alone but with the less privileged, and last but not least, the harvest must be celebrated as God’s blessing or reward for hard work. Shalom.

PRAYER
Lord of the harvest, we glorify your name and humbly pray that You bless our hard work with a bountiful harvest and success. Help us to do Your will by caring for others when You bless us with the harvest. Amen.