the fall season

In his book Spiritual Rhythm, Mark Buchanan explores seasons of the soul and their activities. The seasons prove both the enduring faithfulness of God and His children’s utmost dependency upon Him. In his exploration of the fall season he describes fall as “joy in the key of fulfillment.” The heart of the pilgrim in the fall is expectant, filled up with anticipation. The kind of anticipation (joyful, dreadful, eager, resigned) is largely dependent on how the pilgrim has stewarded other seasons. What one reaps in the fall season is determined by what and how much he has sown in other seasons (Galatians 6:7). The pilgrim must be careful to sow unto pleasing the Sprit (God) and not sow unto pleasing his sinful nature. Although in the moment this discipline may seem painful rather than pleasant, it yields a harvest of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).

Fall is a season marked by harvest, an occasion for thanksgiving and a time to acknowledge God as Provider. Harvest time is when the pilgrim reaps what he has sown; a reaping unto a storing of it. While fall is a time for both reaping and storing, it is also a time for feasting and thanksgiving. Buchanan points out that it’s difficult, maybe impossible, to be deeply thankful and be silent. He draws the reader’s attention to C.S. Lewis’ book on reading the Psalms, where Lewis notes this about the psalms of thanksgiving. Lewis writes, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.” Thanksgiving goes hand-in-hand with feasting. The purpose of feasting is to fatten up for winter. The pilgrim’s wintertime is longer and harder when his autumn is lean, so it is important for the pilgrim to feast in this season so that he might have girth on the bones when he passes through other seasons.