Thought for the Week with Rev Martin Russell:
We recently celebrated our Harvest Festival in church.
We had boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables, tins and packets of food and included a special collection for a charity providing money to plant banana trees in Africa.
All the food offered goes to local house-bound folk and other items go to Halifax charities helping the homeless.
Harvest is a festival of thanksgiving to God for the food he provides for us, for farmers and a celebration of God's creation.
It goes back to the Old Testament where Israel is reminded that God delivered them from slavery and gave them a land "of milk and honey".
The people were commanded to come to the temple in thanksgiving. Christians stand in that tradition.
In the gospels we read how Jesus had compassion on the crowds who listened to his teaching all day.
When his disciples wanted to send them away to buy food, he said: "You give them something to eat."
They only had five loaves and two fishes, but Jesus blessed them and told the disciples to share them out with the crowd of five thousand. They did so and experienced a miracle.
We therefore give thanks and share what we have.