Reaping the Harvest

Reaping the Harvest
Revelation 14.14-20

We watched, last summer, as the reapers went to and fro across the fields. Gradually the landscape changed from golden to brown, with the rich grain being replaced by the earth that would then wait for the next sowing. I was put to shame, one night, when I thought I’d been working late, only to discover when I came out of my study that there were still lights on, away out in the fields, as the reapers continued their urgent labour. We became used to the cartloads coming up the narrow country lane. There was a sense of satisfaction, of a job well done, of the proper cycle of work being completed. Then there was the harvest festival, still an important moment in the life of a rural community...