Good News for the countryside: The Gospel in the grass
Every fortnight people from a farming background, or who have a heart for the countryside in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, offer a personal reflection on faith and rural life. They hope that you will be encouraged by it.
I’m not sure if it’s because the church is decorated with all kinds of fruit and vegetables, or because I love the old harvest hymns, but harvest thanksgiving is definitely my favourite service of the year. As members of the farming community, I often think that harvest is all the more special because as well as our food, we can thank God for providing us with our livelihoods.
One crop that is particularly vital to Northern Ireland’s food production is grass, yet I’ve never seen it used to decorate a church. Whether grazed or used to make silage, we depend on it to feed our 1.7 million cattle and 2 million sheep.
This year has been one of the best grass growing years in living memory. Livestock have thrived in the fields, and silage clamps are as full as they have been in a while.
The Bible has much to say on the importance of growing quality grass, and long before ‘good grassland management’ and ‘optimum body condition score’ became farming buzzwords, King Solomon was writing on these same topics.
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field…” (Proverbs 27:25-26). King Solomon was certainly a pioneer in ruminant nutrition!
The Bible also uses grass to help teach us some important truths about God, and ourselves. In the psalms, grass is often used to help us understand God’s love and care for humanity. In Psalm 100:3, for instance, the psalmist writes “Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” When we know God as our Shepherd, we enjoy His protection and provision in every circumstance in life.
Quoting Isaiah, the Apostle Peter reminds us that, “‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever’” (1 Peter 1:24-25). Just as grass has its growing season, when viewed from an eternal perspective - money, possessions, success, popularity - are all short-term.
Jesus also used grass to illustrate how we should keep these in perspective. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said: “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30).
Jesus was reminding us that God, in His love and grace, supplies all our physical needs so we’ve no need to worry about them. Instead, Jesus urges everyone to prioritise their spiritual needs, saying “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33).
So how can we seek His Kingdom? In John 10:9, Jesus tells us, “I am the gate; whoever enters through, will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture,” It’s only through trusting in Jesus as our Saviour that we can enjoy the peace of sins forgiven, and know the safety and security of dwelling in His pastures, both now and in heaven. So why not open that gate for yourself, and give your life to Him today?
Ronald Annett works for a local animal feed company and helps out on the family farm in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains. He is a member of Mourne Presbyterian Church in Kilkeel, County Down.
If you would like to talk to someone about any of the issues raised in this article, please email Rev Kenny Hanna, PCI’s Rural Chaplain at [email protected] or call him on 07938 488 372.