The Epworth & Belton Group of Churches

Rector's Reflection for October 2026 - “Trusting God for What Comes Next”

There is something rather beautiful about this time of year, which as a keen photographer, I appreciate greatly. The evenings are drawing in, the leaves are beginning to turn to their autumnal hues, and the fields around our villages remind us that another season has come to an end. Harvest invites us to pause and notice what we have been given.

Recently, I noticed a tree shedding its leaves. One particular leaf seemed to hold on for dear life, even though almost all the others had already fallen. It made me think. Perhaps we can sometimes be a little like that leaf!

We hold on tightly to things we know, even when life is changing around us. We hold on to familiar routines, familiar places, familiar hopes. Yet autumn reminds us that letting go is not always the end of something. Sometimes it is what makes room for something new.

That feels especially significant this Harvest. Across our churches and communities, there are joys to celebrate, but there are also people carrying worries about family, finances, health, loneliness, the future of our churches and communities, and the world around us. We may not know exactly what the next season will bring.

But Harvest reminds us that we are not the ones who have to hold everything together.

The psalmist writes, “You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.” — Psalm 65:11

The generosity of God is woven into ordinary things: a loaf of bread, a neighbour’s kindness, a meal shared with friends, a child gathering conkers, someone checking that an elderly neighbour is okay, a church opening its doors and making room for people.

Perhaps that is one of the great gifts of Harvest. It teaches us to notice.

To notice what God has already given.
To notice the people who quietly make a difference.
To notice that even in uncertain times, there is still goodness, beauty and love around us.

And perhaps, too, Harvest encourages us to trust.

The fields are not harvested because the farmer knows exactly what next year will bring. They are harvested with gratitude for what has grown and hope for what is still to come.

So, as the leaves fall and the seasons turn, may we give thanks for all that has been, cherish the blessings of today, and place tomorrow gently into God’s hands.

For the God who has been faithful through every season will be faithful in the seasons still to come.

Prayer

Loving God,
thank you for the gifts of this Harvest,
for food, friendship, family and community,
and for the beauty of the changing seasons.
Help us to notice your goodness in ordinary things,
to share what we have with others,
and to trust you with all that lies ahead.
May we walk into the next season with thankful hearts,
quiet courage and joyful hope.
Amen.

Wishing you every joy and peace this October,

Revd Paul

The Revd Paul Wilson

Rector of the Epworth Group of Churches

Priest-in-Charge of the Belton Group of Churches

Assistant Curate of the Crowle Group of Churches and the Haxey and Owston Ferry Plurality

Rural Dean of the Isle of Axholme Deanery