Our church community gathers for an annual apple pressing and this year I missed it! 
For anyone wondering what an apple press is…it is when there is a bountiful harvest of apples and you use a machine to squeeze the juice out of them and then make apple cider! It is so much fun and delicious!
So if any of you are celebrating fall with an apple press, check out this poem I wrote about fall, God’s love for us, apple pressing and how it all correlates.
Autumn Glory
Autumn has arrived again
The glory of Your hand revealed
In the changing of the colors
To the harvest in the fields
Brilliance rages across the earth
An explosion of fiery shades
A season to remind us
Of the life You gave to save
Time sets the course
According to Your hand
Crimson red marks and stains
A hint of Your story told to man
There is a death that leads to life
Your one and only Son
Who came to redeem a dying world
Who stained a cross and said its done
So when a crisp breeze brings
The transformation of fall
We remember the fall of man
And how your grace fell on all
Our Savior and our Refuge
Our Lover and our Friend
We give You our whole hearts
You heal us and You mend
You make beauty from ashes
You produce out of our pain
You make dead things anew
Your sacrifice, amazing gain
This season that is now upon us
Continues to blessedly share
The truth of Your Salvation
And how much You truly care
Fruit hangs loosely on the trees
It dangles and dances in our reach
To pull and pluck for our good pleasure
Yet Another gift You gave to teach
Evidence of Your great love
And that Your provision is always enough
That You are very near to us
Even when life seems rather tough
We gather what You have given us
Buckets of Your faithfulness
We prepare each apple by hand
And savor heartfelt gratefulness
We press each one right after another
The crank compresses with pure purpose
Ripe juice seeps out from all the crushed
A process that produces
More than enough to satisfy
Proof of how You take
Something that is broken
And turn it into something great
You know the feeling all too well
You were pressed beneath the weight
The crank was turned by the hands of man
Yet in love You opened Heaven’s gate
You were crushed for our iniquity
Poured out so we could drink
The cup of Your Salvation
Graciously given the gift of eternity
We come together in the harvest
Brought in by the Farmer’s right hand
A community of difference, plucked
From the tree of life that stands
United by our Heavenly Father
We hope to always be
A way for others to taste the goodness
Of the Lord and His love for thee
We press in with words of purpose
To impress those who You have placed
Intentionality leading a moment
Of raw, unfiltered grace
…..
Sinking into our seats
The tension setting tighter
We say the words that are necessary
So that our brilliance can be brighter
We crank the wheel of conversation
Unrelenting and unveiled
We let the truth come to life
So that God’s love can be revealed
It is all for His sake
That we pour ourselves out
A drink offering to quench the thirst
This is what love is all about
So open up your heart this season
Let truth flow from your lips
Season your speech with salt
And Let love be the Rutter of your ship
The harvest is plentiful
Ripe for the reaping
Get ready for revival
As you follow God’s leading
Start right where you are
Fall into God’s hands
Press into His Word
And you can withstand
Every season of change
Because to live is to die
Just don’t ever forget the weight of this truth
You are, and always will be, the apple of His eye!
By Jennifer Smith