THEME                    The letting go – the time of fulfillment

THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION

1. Like the falling of the leaves security in life lies in the process not in the fixed points.
2. Without harvest there can be no seed time.
   Without death there can be no new life, no new beginning.
3. The splendor of the letting go has within it the seeds of new fulfillment.
4. The falling of the leaves reminds us both of the impermanence of life and the constancy of the cycle.
5. There is a right time for holding and a right time for letting go.

 

PRAYERS

1. O autumnal God, splendor of rainbow hued leaves, may the eventide of our lives be a vibrant prelude to the all encompassing letting go of death.
2. O God of the harvest, may we be ever vigilant as to the nature of the seed we sow in our minds lest we reap a harvest of fear, disillusionment and bitterness in our old age.

 

HYMNS

Look behind the festive scene. (Harvest Festival) (BL)

Autumn comes in all its fullness.(BL)

Sowing limits what we harvest. (BL)

 

God gives the Song.

http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling

May we all live as grains of rice. (Asian Harvest Hymn)

http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling

 

As we give we shall receive.

Singing the Sacred Vol 1 2011 World Library Publications

REFRAINS

In the letting go. (BL)

As leaves that softly fall. (BL)

 

POEMS / REFLECTIONS

COMMENT

Harvest involves gathering the grain and burning the stubble of our life. The good seed produces steady growth; rampant growth and stunted growth can both lead to a failure in fruiting. So in our own lives, both excess and deprivation can be destructive. This is true of wealth, power, possessions, mental and emotional activity and of the spiritual life.

AUTUMN LEAF

This autumn shall be for me

the most glorious

of them all

for I shall no longer struggle possessively

to clutch life

but instead like a leaf let myself be blown

by God’s spirit

and whenever

I touch the earth

sing the song of the universe,

dance in the power of God’s grace

and with tenderness

offer myself

to all.

AUTUMN

One Autumn day

as I gazed in wonder

at the cascades of golden leaves and the fire-bright trees,

I saw

that just as

Autumn can be more glorious than spring,

retirement

need not be

a time

of barrenness of soul,

but can provide iridescent opportunities

for

observation reflection and

friendship for those

who prepare

for its

coming.

 

FOCUS FOR ACTION

1. What aspect of my life should I let go of in order that my spirituality might gain more focus and have less clutter?
2. What steps could I take to increase the amount of love and gentleness in my mind?  What mantras could I develop that would begin replacing negative energies with more positive energies, e.g. on breathing in say “I accept God’s love” and on breathing out “I share God’s love”.

Text and image © William Livingstone Wallace but available for free use.