September Embertide and the approach of Autumn

On this Wednesday of September Embertide, my thoughts turn to the impending arrival of Autumn. We are now in the very last days of Summer, with cooler mornings and darker evenings already having an autumnal character. On Saturday, with the autumnal equinox, we enter into Autumn. That the days of September Embertide should fall now is, of course, no coincidence. The Ember Days are, as the Prayer Book tells us, "at the Four Seasons", marking the movement into each new season with penitence and abstinence.

A time of penitence and abstinence before entering into Autumn prepares us to receive the gifts of the season. Indeed, such a time of penitence draws us into discernment, appropriate for Autumn's quieter days, mellow scenes, and - with the decline of the year - air of melancholy. Penitence drawing us into discernment prepares us to still and quieten ourselves for a more reflective time of year, even amidst the work September and the months ahead bring; to see the beauty of the created order afresh, in a manner quite different to the glories of High Summer; to heed the word of mortality again brought to us by the falling leaves and darker days of Autumn.

So too, a time of penitence prepares us to enter into the time of Harvest Thanksgiving. Here, in these Islands, Harvest Thanksgiving stretches from early September into late October, mostly congregating around late September and early October. Penitence and abstinence during September Embertide prepares in heart and mind to give thanks that - in the words from the Form of Thanksgiving for the Blessings of Harvest in the Church of Ireland BCP 1926 - "thou hast safely brought us to the season of harvest, visiting the earth and blessing it, and crowning the year with thy goodness". For Canadian friends, with Thanksgiving falling in early October (9th October this year), the September Ember Days can likewise be a preparation for festivity.  As for friends in the United States, while 23rd November does seem some way off, there is a certain appropriateness to entering into Fall with Embertide penitence and leaving it with the joy of Thanksgiving. 

Then there are the High Festivals which mark Autumn, Michaelmas and All Saints' Day. As the days slowly begin to darken around Michaelmas, becoming darker at At Hallows, both are festivals of Light. Penitence enables us to behold the Light, to move from the ways of darkness, and to see that which is unseen, the invisible creation. September Embertide can, therefore, also be a preparation for these festivals of Light, that with hearts and souls cleansed by penitence and abstinence we might be readied to behold the splendour of Eternal Light reflected in the angelic host and the communion of saints.

Finally, more prosaically, with Autumn the Summer holidays are now far behind us and the Christmas holidays still lie quite some time ahead, parish life has returned to its range of activities after the Summer break, the school year is underway, and a busy cycle of Autumn fayres, preparing the garden for the colder, darker months, Hallowe'en festivities, and - when we reach November - early events connected with the festive season lie ahead, also indicative of a very busy commercial time of year. It is good to enter into such a busy time after the penitence of September Embertide has prepared us in heart and soul, recalling us to gratitude, patience, contentment, and love of neighbour.

Related to this, we might also note that the collect provided for the Autumn Ember Days in the Canadian BCP 1962 holds in prayer those who labour:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who in thy earthly life didst share man’s toil, and thereby hallow the labour of his hands: Prosper all those who maintain the industries of this land; and give them pride in their work, a just reward for their labour, and joy both in supplying the needs of others and in serving thee their Saviour; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

May this Wednesday of September Embertide be a means of preparing us for the season that lies ahead and all that it brings, that, amidst falling leaves and rich hues, the days shortening and beginning to grow colder, the joyous thanksgiving of Harvest, the Light of Michaelmas and All Hallows at the darker time of the year, and the busy schedules of these months, we might live as those whose times are in the hands of our gracious Creator and Redeemer.