Many of us will remember Harvest Festival services and assemblies from when we were in primary school; perhaps you still celebrate Harvest Sunday at your Church. For most of us, however, the closest we get to farming is watching Clarkson's Farm on a cozy winter evening or being stuck behind a tractor on the way to work. During these times, it's unlikely that we take a moment to reflect on how God’s glory is reflected in agriculture.
One person whose interaction with farming goes beyond weeknight TV and being late to work is James Cole, a Farmer and follower of Christ from Wiltshire. We sat down with James to hear about how he experiences God through his work and learn more about the Harvest Festival.
So, James, thanks for having us on your farm here in Wiltshire, could you tell us a bit about yourself and the type of farming you do?
James: “Of course! You’re very welcome, and it's great to have you here. As you said, I’m James and I have the great blessing and privilege of living here in the countryside. I grew up on the farm, but it wasn’t until about 30 years ago that I started farming myself. Nowadays we farm sheep, cattle and various crops.”
We know you’re a Christian, what has your journey of faith looked like so far?
James: “I started following Christ when I was about 6 years old and I actually remember it quite well! My mother had been praying for me and my siblings since we were born, and she explained to me that sometimes I was naughty, but Jesus still loved me, and I needed to know his forgiveness. I prayed a simple prayer, which was ‘Jesus, forgive me for when I’m naughty’ and I knew his forgiveness from that moment on.”
“Of course, at that point, my faith was very childlike, but over time it has developed, and I’ve learned a lot from farming because so much in scripture is about farming! I often think that I have such a privilege because I open the Bible and read about cows, sheep and other things I understand and I don’t always have to translate stories into a different context.”
At this time of year, lots of schools and Churches celebrate Harvest Festival and thank God for his provision, how do you see the interaction between faith and farming?
James: “I started to think about how our faith links with farming from a young age. I remember as a child when the harvest would be finished and the combine would go back into the shed. My Mother would then prepare a great meal for us to celebrate, and we shared a great sense of achievement. I always found it strange, however, that this was in mid-August and we wouldn’t celebrate Harvest in school and Church until October!
“Later on, I started to read the Scriptures and learned from Exodus 23 that, in ancient Israel, they celebrated harvest at three different festivals. First, they would celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, during which the barley harvest would take place and the first fruits of the harvest would be offered before the Lord. We now know the day of first fruits as resurrection day, and we know Jesus to be the first fruit. The second event was the Feast of Harvest, which took place 50 days after Passover, on the day we as Christians now know to be Pentecost. The third festival, and what we now celebrate as Harvest, was the festival of Ingathering, where the people would celebrate the end of the Harvest.
“From reading the Bible, I now understand that Harvest Festival is so much more than just patting farmers on the back and saying, ‘good job’! The Harvest Festivals represent the key aspects of our faith. First, we celebrate God providing us a saviour, the lamb of God, 50 days later we celebrate God giving us his spirit on Pentecost and finally we celebrate God being the provider of all things.”
Farming can be unpredictable, especially with weather becoming more extreme. How do you lean on God during difficult seasons?
James: “We need to be a people of hope, and a lot of how we handle difficulties rests on where our perspective is. We need to know our position in Christ and keep our minds fixed on things above. Things are always going wrong and breaking on the farm, but that is a part of life. This year I planted our pea harvest with great hope, but we didn’t even get enough of a crop back to cover the seed cost. But when I look at thing in perspective, I know that he is faithful, and he provides for us.
“When we read about the three feasts, we learn that it was a command to rejoice. In the New Testament, we also read in Philippians the command to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Neither of these examples mean that we don’t struggle with battles or difficulties, for farmers, this last harvest has been below average, but because of Gods command, we should praise God that it was better than the year before!”
Do you have any examples of a time when you have felt God speak to you about your work?
James: “Plenty! One that sticks out is when, a couple of years ago, I was praying about when to sell the crops. Selling crops can be a bit of a lottery because prices go up and down like the stock markets. I asked God what I should do and later I opened my Bible to my reading of the day. It said: ‘People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.’ I knew then that I needed to sell the crops and stop holding on to them.”
Thank you so much for your time, I know you have some machinery to go and fix! Could you pray for the farmers in our Diocese as we celebrate Harvest?
James: Of course! Lets Pray:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your great faithfulness to us over this past year,
We acknowledge that in every way, you are sovereign.
I pray for my fellow farmers who battle on through the difficulties of this work and perhaps don't know who you are.
I pray that they would come to know that you are the one who is sovereign, you are the one who sends the rain, and it is you who sustains us in everything.
For everyone else celebrating Harvest, may we remember that everything we have and everything that sustains us from one day to the next is a gift from you.
We want to say thank you for who you are and for the privilege of knowing you.
Amen.