Harvest Moon

It is early October 2006. When it hasn’t been raining, we’ve been enjoying views of the beautiful Harvest Moon over the past few weeks. Low on the horizon, the Harvest Moon appears larger than an ordinary full moon. According to various sources, this is simply an illusion or an unsolved mystery.

What’s not a mystery, though, is how the Harvest Moon’s name came about. It is called a Harvest Moon because farmers in the north are able to extend their working days during the harvest season because the light of this moon is so bright. I can vouch for this – even last night at about 11:30, the sky was not completely dark.

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so many things. Mostly, though, I am thankful to Jesus Christ for sacrificing His life for mine. In hindsight, I recognize the times that He called me, and I am thankful for his grace, mercy and kindness as I rejected Him over and over again. It almost seems as if God sent me a Harvest Moon so that I might get some extra time to come to know Him.

My friends Chuck & Margaret Burns invited me to spend Thanksgiving at their home with their family. The food was fabulous – very moist turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, beet green rolls (like cabbage rolls), pierogies, pickles & cranberry sauce. Need I say more? Okay, then – also pecan pie, blueberry pie, pumpkin pie, apple crisp for dessert. Such a feast! I am thankful to have “broken bread” with these friends today.

I had the opportunity to share my testimony with the group that was there, and it was a relief to share it again. It has been a while. I am thankful indeed for a testimony to share that intrigues people and I pray that this testimony is used for God’s purposes and that the testimony lives on.

It used to be that if I did not tell this story for a couple of weeks, I would start to feel anxious. But it really has been a long while now, and I did not even realize how poorly not sharing my testimony has made me feel, until I shared it again tonight. It seems as if God has once again sent a Harvest Moon to provide more opportunities to share how Christ’s love has changed my life.

I am not a scholar of the Bible, but I have heard it speculated that we are in the end times. As we build buildings, revamp programs, upgrade technology, remodel, furnish, hire, etc., in our churches, I pray tonight that we consider the light of the Harvest Moon. Just as that light allows farmers to maximize their harvests, God may give us such a time to use us to maximize His harvest. I pray we use the time wisely.