With gratitude to God - A sermon for Harvest Thanksgiving

A while ago I read of a painting which is called “Look Up.” It apparently depicts a large city church. In front of the church people are milling around busily. But on the side of the church about ten feet off the pavement is a sign. It is one of those signs that has white on black letters that can be removed when appropriate. This sign tells the time of the services and the sermon title. In front of the church a priest is stood on the pavement whilst a church official is on a ladder next to the sign. Clearly he has just changed the sermon title. Now it proclaims “Sunday’s Sermon: ‘Look Up!”

Why should anyone bother to paint such a picture? The clue is that all the people seem to be doing the opposite of what is written. They are looking down, be they people getting on with the tasks of life or the official looking down at the priest in search of approval. Only the priest is looking up.

This evening, we come to the conclusion of our Harvest Thanksgiving celebrations. We have celebrated the wonder of the Harvest and around us we see an array of the good gifts in which we rejoice at this season. And yet is there not a danger that we will be as those in the painting, looking down rather than up, wondering at the gifts yet losing sight of the giver?


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