HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
“… a harvest is appointed for you…”
(Hosea 6:11)
Dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ!
This time of the year, believers in Russia are celebrating a Christian holiday called Harvest. In many ways, Harvest closely resembles Thanksgiving that is celebrated by believers in the United States. Harvest is an important celebration appointed by the Lord (Ex. 23:16). In terms of semantics and the spiritual content, the feast of the Harvest is perhaps one of the deepest and most multifaceted celebrations. Similarly to the richest and most vibrant autumn color palette, the harvest contains many spiritual meanings and emotions: the sorrow of repentance for carelessly lived days, the joy of contemplating ripened fruit, anxiety for sinners who are dying, and the exhilarating delight in the anticipation of the fast-approaching return of our Christ.
The Biblical message of the Harvest encompasses the whole world: «the harvest is the end of the age» (Matt. 13:39), while at the same time, it focuses on each person individually: «a harvest is appointed for you « (Hosea 6:11).
People often live their lives in such a way as to distance themselves from others. Whenever they hear a call to repentance, they perceive it to be intended for others in the group. I will use an example from the Bible to illustrate this point. The Samaritan woman who spoke with Christ at the well eagerly discussed religious issues with the Savior. She eagerly brought up the age-old contradicting views between the Jews and Samaritans, but when the Lord addressed her personally, when Jesus began to use the words «you», «your,” it shook her to the core, it resonated with her on a personal level and that was the beginning of her new life.
The Harvest celebration also contains this piercing component. Like an arrow, like a well-aimed spear, these words take aim at every person: «a harvest is appointed for you.» The amazing thing is that each person reacts differently to them. If he is sinful and not saved, they sound like ominous thunder. If he is saved by Christ and has lived his life for Him, these words sound like a melody filled with home of the joy to come.
Dear friends, in the days of harvest, may our heart be filled with gratitude to the Lord, for He is truly good! He still extends His care and grace to both the evil and the good. Let us sincerely rejoice in those good fruits and blessed results in the work of the Lord, in which we have also taken part in. In this time of the year, let’s not forget about the personal responsibility to bear fruit for Christ in our lives.
This year, when the Persecuted Church in the former USSR marks the 60th anniversary of the Awakening, I would like to repeat the words of a faithful servant of God, Pastor Gennady K. Kryuchkov: «We go to church together, we sing together, we pray together, but we will be saved one by one. When we enter through the narrow gates, we will enter one by one. When we give an account to God, we will give it one by one.»
May God bless each one of us on the day when we meet Him to appear before His throne not empty-handed but bearing much fruit for His glory! May you be abundantly blessed! Happy Thanksgiving!
In Christ,
Rev. Vladimir A. Okhotin
REM’s Founder and President
