Read:  Deuteronomy 24:19-22

Reflect:   It’s August, and that means it’s harvest time.  Here in wheat country, we pray for a good harvest that has survived drought and hail and inopportune rain.  Some years are better than others, especially for small family farms.  Agricultural communities across the country are often characterized by perseverance, hopefulness, and generosity that are grounded in the goodness and abundance of God’s provision. 

This week’s passage from Deuteronomy reflects God’s promise of protection and care for a people who were saved from their oppressors in Egypt (aka The Exodus).  They are reminded that they have been chosen and blessed by God to be a blessing for others.  They are partners now with God in caring for others who are experiencing their own times of conflict, crisis, or disaster.  To leave gleanings in the field was one way they could provide for the orphan, the widow, or the foreigner living in their midst.  Not all of us are farmers, but we all have our own “harvest gleanings” we can share with those in need of safety, food, companionship, or prayer.

Prayer:   God most mighty, God most merciful, our sacred stories tell us that you help and save your people.  You are the fortress:  may there be no more war.  You are the harvest:  may there be no more hunger.  You are the light:  may no one die alone or in despair.  God most majestic, God most motherly, grant us your life, the life that frows from your Son and the Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.  (from All Creation Sings, p. 49.  ©2020 Augsburg Fortress, used by permission.)