Feels like Autumn… Why not warm yourself up with a hot chocolate and a read of our latest devotion.

Psalm 95:1-7

‘Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

“Autumn Days when the grass is jewelled and the silk inside a chestnut shell…” who remembers this classic hymn from assemblies? I remember singing it as a child in my Devonshire school in the 1980s, and now as a Schools’ Worker leading assemblies in Yorkshire we still sing it! The line that stands out most to me is “so I musn’t forget, to say a great big thank you, I musn’t forget.”  We have so much to be thankful for in the Autumn- sunny crisp days, the beauty of falling leaves, the cosiness of nights drawing in, Strictly Come Dancing on the television again (ok that last one might just be for me!). This season also includes harvest- a time to be thankful for all we have, and a time to think of others and share what we have whether that is donating food to those in need or offering hospitality.

In the passage above we read that God created the seas, the lands, and He made us. He cares for us so deeply- we are the flock under His care. The depths of the earth are in His hands and we are in His hands- He’s got the whole world in His hands (another assembly hymn classic!).  So, as you notice the beauty of autumn, or donate to your harvest collection, remember to ‘say a great big thank you’ to the one who made it all possible.

Beverley (Craven Schools’ worker)