THIS is the season for Harvest festivals. This year it will be like no other. Few churches will have the usual decorations of flowers and fruit and vegetables. No congregations will sing their favourite harvest hymns. Some church buildings, especially in rural areas, have not yet been able to reopen for worship.

All the same, it is still critically important that we don’t let the season of harvest slip by without a thought. First, because the harvest is still a vital necessity for our farmers. The twin threats of coronavirus and the fear of leaving the European Union without a trade deal are putting untold pressure on the economy, and our farmers are in the front line.

But farmers longing for a good harvest, not just for the sake of their own business, but for all of us, their customers and consumers. The food they produce is the food we eat.

The second reason we must not let the season of harvest slip by without a thought is that it makes us think about the state of the planet.

Harvest festivals remind us of our dependency on the earth, and we need that reminder more urgently than ever. Sixty-four world leaders have signed a 10-point plan to redress the damage done to the earth by so many human acts of destruction.

The plan addresses the damage done by deforestation and climate change. It seeks to establish an effective and sustainable system of food production for the human family.

A far cry from shining marrows stacked in front of the altar of a village church? Not really.

Harvest festivals make connections between the needs of the earth, the responsibilities of human beings, and the love of God for all his children:

All good gifts around us

Are sent from heaven above:

Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,

For all his love.