Fall has always been my favorite time of year. The crisp mornings (work with me now), the shortened days, the amber sunsets, the sweater evenings (give it time)—all are a part of the ambience that we call Fall. I’d like to add the autumn leaves—and we’ll have a few of those—a brilliant red maple or two—even in Houston.

Fall always meant football. It meant raking leaves and no more mowing. It meant tranquil walks and scenic bike rides. For Tennesseans, it meant a leisurely drive around Cades Cove or through Wares Valley, or a maybe a Saturday’s hike in the Smokys.

Fall always meant gospel meeting time. And the refreshment of the season was enhanced by the prospect of visiting preachers and the excitement of nightly assemblies with the saints. The welcome cool of the fall and the crispness of the evening, made the warmth of the assemblies even more luxurious. Somehow the singing seemed fuller and more resonant. Somehow the people seemed closer and more contented. Somehow the mood was more settled and relaxed, the busyness of summer now gone. Fall has always seemed a more sober and reflective season—a season for harvesting and assessing your crop, a time to prepare for the coming winter.

We’re fortunate to have Brother Steve Dewhirst with us in our fall gospel meeting here at Southside. Steve was with us in our 96 lectures and in our spring gospel meeting a couple of years prior to that. He has become a favorite among our people, and we’re pleased that he has agreed to come and be with us again this year. Brother Dewhirst is a very talented and careful student of the word. He’s an independent thinker, a gifted writer and has a fresh and effective delivery in the pulpit. His practical and biblical exhortations will help us make the most of these fall days and give us food for thought this winter. There are several things you can do to make the most of our fall meeting with Steve:

Remember, you can’t reap what you haven’t sown. If you’re going to reap the benefit of this fall engagement, you’ll have to sow some energy and enthusiasm. You need to plant yourself in your seat every service. You need to break up the clods and turn the fallow soil so that the engrafted word will be easily received in your heart. You need to pull out the weeds and the tares—the interruptions and trivial distractions that will keep you from coming and from benefitting from assembling with the saints. You need to keep what’s planted so that it grows and bears fruit in your life.

Relish the joy and beauty of the harvest season. Look around. Look at how God has blessed you this year. Look at what you have, what you wear, what you eat, what you drive, what you drive to, what you go home to. Has God not blessed you richly? Look around you when you sit in the assembly. Look at the people. Look at how they’re trying. Look at what they do for one another. Look at how they’ve grown. Look at how they work together. Look at how you’re not alone. Give thanks for how the Lord of Harvests has rewarded your labor.

Encourage the workers. Pentecost was a celebration of the Jewish harvest. Other cultures have established similar harvest celebrations, like our Thanksgiving. Agrarian communities would work together to bring in the crops and store them for winter. In the evenings as they rested from their reaping they’d celebrate and share with one another the rewards of that year’s effort. The togetherness of the whole affair contributed to its excitement. Share yourself with your fellow workers as we labor together in this fall meeting. Encourage the preaching. Encourage the eldering. Encourage the teaching. Encourage the deaconing. Encourage the attending. Encourage the visiting. Encourage the listening. Encourage the songleading. It’s what harvest time is for.

Well, enjoy these fall days. Thank God for them. Glorify Him in them. Make the most of them while they’re here.