Readings:Amos 5v6-7&10-15; Psalm 90v12-end; Hebrews 4v12-16; Mark 10v17-31
Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen
A Word from Lucy: Today on the occasion of our Harvest Festival Celebrations, we join a long and ancient tradition of giving thanks for the Harvest that pre-dates Christianity. For, the people of Israel, God’s very own chosen people, had a major festival called Sukkot that was celebrated in the Autumn, when they: gathered the crops from the fields and the fruits of the orchards; and remembered their time living in the desert for 40 years, after their rescue from slavery in Egypt, before entering the promised land. An early Christian celebration of Harvest, was the custom that took place in early August (at the beginning of the harvest). In this tradition, the basis of the tradition was the idea of giving God our “first fruits”, and some of the first crops were used to make a loaf that was brought to the Church for use in the service named the “loaf mass”, or Lammas. Today, Loaf Mass continues to be a Christian holy day, but after the reformation, the tradition was discontinued by the Church of England. The modern day Harvest Festival was re-introduced into the Church when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited his Cornish parishioners to a special thanksgiving service for the harvest, at his church in Morwenstow, in 1843. From this grew the tradition of singing Harvest hymns and the custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the service.
Today in the Church of England, Harvest festivals are celebrated across a number of dates, because unlike Canada and the USA, the UK does not have a national holiday for Harvest Festival. This means that some Churches celebrate in September, on the Sunday nearest the Feast of Michaelmas, when people gather for a community meal called a Harvest Supper. Others celebrate on the Sunday nearest the time of the Harvest Moon, which occurs in late September or early October. Yet others, like us, have a home-grown tradition of celebrating in October. However, whatever date this celebration takes place, and whatever the origin of the current tradition is, Harvest Festival is: a time to give thanks for the food grown on the land; it is a reminder of all the good things that God gives to us; and it is a time to take stock of how we can help and support others with the gifts we have received.
Today as we take stock of what we have and how we can help and support others, I pray that we will all take some sort of Harvest Thanksgiving action. Here are a few of my own ideas:
- Maybe making a gift offering of food to neighbours or food banks or schools;
- Maybe giving time to make a covid secure visit to those who are lonely;
- Maybe being open to give time to listen, without judgement, to those who need to talk;
- Maybe using our God given skills and abilities to help someone who needs them.
For, I believe that God is calling each of us to share some of what we have for the benefit of others. And, whatever you are thinking of, whether it is much or little, if we dare to share, then I also believe that we begin the journey that Jesus called the young rich man to in the gospel, of giving to those in need and following Jesus. And, as we heard in the psalm, God will prosper the work of our hands.
Let us pray:Go before us O Lord, as we endeavour to worship you in spirit and truth, and lift up our hearts that we may serve you fittingly, as you desire.
Lords’ prayer: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
The Grace: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, now and evermore. AMEN
Thank you for joining us today.