St Clement Church Community Harvest Sunday Service

 

 

Good morning to you all and welcome to our Harvest service.

We have so much to be thankful for and yet, so often we feel hard done by when we see what some others have.

May we start each day by giving thanks for what we have – so much more than so many people.

May we start each day giving thanks for who we are – followers of Jesus Christ.

May we start each day determined to show our gratitude by living each day in Jesus’ footsteps.

My love to you all

Liz

 

Let us pray:

 

Gracious God, we praise you for your goodness and your generosity ; your provision and care for us.

At this time of harvest, we thank you for the bounty and abundance of food that we enjoy.

We thank you for our many blessings and pray that you will help us to be good stewards of the many resources that we have.

Amen

 

We say together:

 

God of harvest,

 gardener supreme,

you place us at the centre,

feed us, equip us and,

having provided for us,

look to a different harvest,

a fruitfulness of lives

in service to you, and others.

God of harvest,

Feed us,

prune us,

harvest us,

that our lives

might bring glory to you.

 

Amen

 

Hymn: 259 Come ye thankful people, come

 

Our Prayer of Penitence

 

Secure in the knowledge that God, who created us and loves us dearly, let us confess before him our sins, and humankind’s abuse of his creation:

 

God our Father, we are sorry for all the times when we demand cheap food without thought for the well-being of the growers, the farm animals, or the land itself,

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

 

When we fail to consider those who produce food in difficult conditions for little reward,

Christ, have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

 

When we forget to give thanks to God for good food and clean water,

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

 

The Collect for Harvest

 

Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season: grant that we may use them to your glory, for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

 

Amen

 

Readings:

 

Joel 2. 21 - 27

1 Timothy 6. 6 - 10

 

Hymn:  263 All creatures of our God and King (omit verses 5 & 6)

 

Gospel: Matthew 6. 25 - 33

(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. 

Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)

 

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.                                          Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?                                     Look at the birds of the air; they neither sew nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.                                                              Are you not of more value than they?

And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

And why do you worry about clothing?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Soloman in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?”

For it is the Gentiles that strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,’

 

(This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)

 

Reflection

 

Today we are celebrating ‘Harvest.’ It’s the time when we give thanks for the food we have to eat and those who have grown it, reared it or caught it.

It’s also a time when, yet again, we realise just how fortunate we are, when there are so many, in this county, this country and across the world, who go hungry each day.

 

When I was a child, food was decidedly seasonal. We ate what was grown locally and at that particular time of the year, unless things had been bottled, pickled or stored for use later.

I well remember the first post war Fyffes Banana boat that came into the wharf where Cornish Mutual is now. The excitement that bananas were now available… and my disappointment when I tasted one … no, not for me! (I eat them now!)

Nowadays, one can buy any type of fruit or vegetable at any time of year; the majority of which are not grown locally and so travel from great distances.

We also want to pay as little as possible for what we buy, quite forgetting those who provide our food and need to earn a living for providing it.

 

Shankar was having a very bad day. Nobody wanted the sweet, ripe fruits he was growing on his farm.

Not his family.

Not his neighbour.

Not his friends.

Not the traders who could sell the fruits in far-away markets.

And not even his cows

“No, thank you,” they all said. “The fruits are very sweet, but we have had too many. We cannot eat anymore!”

 

They told him that farming was passe and he should consider another job.

They told him to leave farming and go to another job.                      Shankar, loved farming. He was at his best when he was at the farm. The scent of the earth was his life.

 

What was he to do with his rich harvest of fruits?

 

He decided that it was alright to give away the fruit and not get paid. He decided to give it to the hungry and satiate their hunger.

He took a lot of fruits and went to other cities and gave the fruits for free to the poor and needy. He also handed fruits to travellers along the road.

 

He came home happy that he had done a good deed. That night he slept peacefully.

 

“What did you do with the fruits?” his wife and friends asked.

He didn’t answer the question.

 

He continued his work on the farm thinking that hard work would never be in vain.

 

One day a merchant came to his farm looking for him. He introduced himself and said that he had a huge food factory. He made fruit jam in his factory.

 

“On the way to work in the city I ate the fruit you gave me. It was really delicious. How did you manage to harvest such sweet fruits?” he asked.

 

“I only use natural fertiliser,” Shankar replied.

 

The merchant said that he would buy all of the fruit from Shankar’s farm, for his factory.

 

Shankar was very happy and he continued to work on the farm.                                            He also continued to give some of his fruit to the poor, even as he prospered.

 

Do you ever wonder what it must have been like to be one of Jesus’ disciples?

 

Being one of Jesus’ first disciples must have been quite exciting, very different from their routine, everyday lives. They travelled to different places, listened to Jesus teaching about the Kingdom of heaven in a way that they had never heard before. They saw Him heal blind people and those who couldn’t walk – it must have been amazing.

 

Would you, like Peter, Andrew, and the others, have walked away from your job, your home, and your family to follow an itinerant teacher?

You might have wanted to, but would you have done so? If not, why not?

Why would it have been a dilemma? What conversation would you have had with yourself?

‘I’d like to follow that Jesus – there’s something about him … but, I need my job; without it, how would I pay the mortgage, pay my rent, pay my bills, feed and clothe my family?’

Jesus’ friends must have had similar worries.

Peter, a fisherman, must at times have worried about his boat … was it still where he had left it? It was his livelihood … suppose someone had taken it or damaged it, what would he do?

 

Worry – it is the one thing that we all experience at some time or another … an issue about health, an unexpected large bill, a daily fear about how we are going to cope … whatever it may be; worry can be and is, totally debilitating.

 

But Jesus says, ‘Do not worry.’                                                                                                   He tells his disciples, and us, to look at nature, at the birds and flowers. They are provided for by God; they don’t have to work for what they’re given. How much more will God provide for us – we of little faith.

 

I wonder what I would have done if I was Shankar? After a year of extremely hard work, I had an exceptional harvest that no one wanted. I couldn’t sell it; I couldn’t even give it away to friends and family.                               I can imagine the worry – ‘If I can’t sell what I have grown, how will I pay my bills, feed my family?’ Would I have done what he did?

It must be a continual worry for farmers and food producers of all kinds – whether it has been an exceptional harvest or a dreadful one - will they be able to sell their produce at a price that enables them not only to survive, but to continue?

 

‘Harvest time’ is a time for us to remember to give thanks for what we have – something we should do, every day. Yes, there are those who have more, but we only have to look around us, watch the news on television, to see that we have so much more than so many others.

 

The Kingdom of God is not about the size of your house, the labels on your clothes or the cost of your shopping bill each week. It is about the sort of life you lead, following in the footsteps of his Son. It’s about putting others before yourself; helping those in need; being thankful for what you have.

 

So, as we celebrate harvest – may we not only give thanks for all that we have, but also for those who provide us with the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the water we drink, the safety of the environment in which we live.

And, to show true thanks may we strive to live our lives in Jesus’ name.

Amen

 

Affirmation of faith

 

We believe and trust in God the Father who made the world.

 

We believe and trust in his Son, Jesus Christ, who redeemed the world.

 

We believe and trust in the Holy Spirit who gives life to the people of God.

 

Amen.

 

Hymn: 262 We plough the fields and scatter

 

Our Intercessions by Helen Dunbar

 

Dear Lord, at this harvest time we thank you for all the good things you give us everyday.

As we thank you for our food we remember all those who do not have enough for even one proper meal each day.  Bless all of those, Lord, who suffer, because of the greed of others.  Help us to share the harvests of the world more fairly so everyone can be fed and there will be no more starvation.

 

We thank you for the hard work of all those who grow, protect and prepare our food; for the shopkeepers, delivery drivers, the processors and the farmers.  Bless all those, Lord, who do not earn a fair day’s pay for their hard work both at home and in other countries.  Help us to want to buy local produce and fairly traded goods wherever we can so that everyone can work with dignity and there will be no more poverty. We also pray for those who struggle to get land or have been forced off the land they need to be able to plant and grow enough food, for those who have had to abandon land because of conflict and have had to leave crops un-harvested.

 

Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer

 

At this harvest time we thank you for the world around us; for the flowers, the trees and the animals.  Bless all those who care for them, Lord. Help us to protect your creation by being careful about how we use your resources so that there will be clean water, clean air and plenty of wild birds, mammals and insects to maintain the ecological balance of our countryside.

 

We give thanks for all that is good in your creation and all who bring in the Harvest of the sea and the land.  We are conscious of so much we get wrong, so we give thanks too for your grace and patience with us when we fail to look after your World as we should. Help us to change so that we become a new creation walking in the light of your Gospel.

Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer

 

An acrostic prayer of thanksgiving

 

Happy are those who have bread to eat!

As grain grows in the fields and

Rains bring the water of life we share

Visions of all your people united in

Eternal praise and kneaded together to

Share good news of justice and peace:

Taste and see that the Lord is good!

 

We pray for governments and aid agencies and those areas of the world where there is disaster, drought and starvation.

By the grace of your spirit,

touch our hearts,

and the hearts of all who live in comfortable plenty;

and make us wise stewards of your gifts.

Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer

 

We pray for the Christian Church, for our Archbishop and all clergy; we ask your blessing on our own Revd Diane and her family.

 

We pray for our King and Queen and all members of our Royal family, as they resume their Royal duties after a period of ill health.

 

We pray for all those who are unwell at this time and ask your blessing on them, especially those known to us – Ken and Revd Diane, May, Susan, Lauren, Lynda, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Maureen, Pam and David, Barrie and Sandra, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Stella, Jeremy, William, Jane, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Andy, Sue, Ann, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, and all those who have no one to pray for them.

 

Lord, we remember those who have died recently in the peace of Christ; both those who have confessed the faith and those whose faith is known to you alone, and grant us with them a share in your eternal kingdom.

 

Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer

 

From our anniversaries book we remember: Percy Beswetherick, Doris Eddy, Olive Rowe, Kathleen Richards and Horace Gill

 

Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Allen and St Clement and all Christian people to your unfailing love.

 

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

 

Gathering our prayers and praises into one,

Let us pray with confidence as our risen Lord taught us;

 

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.

 

When we see the Harvest by Susan Y Nikitenke

 

A harvest of apples, a harvest of corn;

A harvest of plenty, an autumn adorned.

With bright coloured leaves, a fall festive blend;

A wonderful time for families and friends.

A harvest of pumpkins, a harvest of grain;

 A harvest of bounty, and cool autumn rains.

A big harvest moon – way up in the sky;

A harvest of blessing that God has supplied.

Be grateful, be humble, give thanks to the Lord;

He has showered His blessing here in our world.

But have we been faithful, and have we been true?

Have we put God first in all that we do?

A harvest that God sees is not food or crop,

Not pumpkins, or grain, or apples that drop.

But God sees the harvest of souls needing Him;

A harvest of people who need saved from their sin.

A harvest of souls and a harvest of love;

A harvest of mercy from our Father above.

When we see the harvest, let’s see through Goid’s eyes;

And share with the nations the life He supplies.

 

The Peace

 

The harvest of the Spirit is love and peace, patience, kindness, goodness and gentleness.

Let us then pursue all that makes for peace and builds up our common life.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

 

Hymn: 261 To thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise

 

The Blessing

 

For your goodness and generosity in giving us all that we need,

help us to praise you O God.

In every circumstance of life, in good times and in bad,

help us to trust you, O God.

In love and faithfulness, with all that we have and all that we are,

help us to serve you, O God.

As we speak or write or listen, to those nearby or far away,

help us to share your love, O God.

In our plans and work for ourselves and for others,

help us to glorify you, O God.

In every thought and word and deed, by the power of your Holy Spirit,

this week, may we live for you, O God.

Amen