Sunday Worship - Harvest
Welcome to our Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the 19th Sunday after Trinity, and our Harvest Festival. Today we have just one service in the parish - 11 am at St Thomas'.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "We Plough the Fields and Scatter"
Today's Bible Reading
Joel 2:21-27 God’s Response and Promise
Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things. Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. 'I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm -- my great army that I sent among you.
You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
Reflection
Today in our church we celebrate Harvest Sunday which comes at the end of ‘Creationtide’. For those who may not have heard the term before, Creationtide is a season of worship in the in the annual church calendar, from 1st September to 4th October, dedicated to God as Sustainer and Creator of all Life.
Rather than the standard Gospel passage, [Matthew 6:25-33], I’ve chosen the passage from the less familiar book of Joel. In it we are reminded just how much God provides for us and how fortunate we are.
Harvest also falls in the church season of ‘Ordinary Time' and the colour associated with this is green. It’s a colour associated with ecology and the environment and also a reminder of the green open pastures we can see around us in this wonderful part of the world where we live. [Joel 2:22].
Considering we’ve had the wettest spring and September on record, I smiled a little when I read verse 23, “He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains”.
Yet, perhaps there is an irony in this: Harvest is also a time when we are solemnly reminded that we have an obligation to take care of all the good things that God has provided for us. Right from the beginning of creation, in the garden of Eden, Adam was given the responsibility to look after and till the land.
In recent weeks we have seen floods across Europe, in the UK and America with unprecedented storms wreaking havoc and destruction. During the summer there were heatwaves causing people to die from exhaustion caused by the impact of what most scientists now agree is the consequence of our pollution over the last couple of centuries.
We no longer refer to this as ‘global warming’, because we recognise the situation for what it really is, ‘a global climate disaster’.
Whilst we are suffering from the destruction of homes and towns we should also think about the millions of people suffering and starving across the world because of years of prolonged drought. Those who are literally starving to death because of climate change.
I do not for a moment suggest that we should look at harvest as a time for despair and lamenting all that is wrong with the world – even when things don’t go how we want them to, we should still be thankful that we are blessed in so many ways.
But harvest is also a time for all of us to renew their commitment to caring for our planet and for each other. Like Adam, we are called to look after God’s creation so that there will be many more harvests to celebrate in the future.
There are some things we cannot change and some that we can, and we need to pray that we will all step up and consciously reflect on what things, however small, we can change for the better.
That might for example, mean recycling more of our waste, reusing or giving away perfectly good things that we might have grown tired of, from old clothes to last years technology devices. Reduce or stop using things that we know are harmful to the environment such as plastic or doing things that have health benefits such as walking or cycling instead of just jumping into the car. We as a church are also going to look at what we can do to help the, so please come along to our special ‘eco’ PCC on Monday 14th October at 7:00pm.
Harvest is also a time to reflect on the many people who are less fortunate than us, and to remember that God loves them as well. Although times feel hard for many at the moment, we still have far more than others. So, when Jesus commands us to love one another, he asks us to share some of what we have with those who have little or nothing.
I was greatly heartened by the number of gifts that St. Thomas’ school left in church after their school harvest service on Monday. Let’s give thank to God for their generosity and follow their example of loving kindness. Using the gifts He has given us in the service of others is one of the most appropriate ways of demonstrating our gratitude to God for what He has done for us. Paul
Our Prayers
This week's prayers have been provided by Revd Daniel Ramble, our Area Dean.
Loving Creator, in your generous and overflowing love,
you call us to reach out, nurture, and build.
Help us to care for your creation with open hearts, to embrace others with grace,
and to reflect your boundless love in all we do.
Guide us to be stewards of your earth,
builders of community, and bearers of your peace,
so that all may know the depth of your goodness.
In Christ’s name, we pray
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Harvest Samba"
Notices
Your generous Harvest Donations this year will be going to the Food Pantry at St Barnabas’ Church. Please stay for our “Bring and Share” Harvest Lunch, it doesn’t matter at all if you don’t bring anything – there will be plenty to go around! There is no charge for the lunch, but any donations you could make will be most welcome.
Next Sunday’s services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes’ and 11 am at St Thomas’. The Tuesday morning Service of Holy Communion is at 10 am at St Thomas’, and Worship for all Generations is at 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday at St Agnes’.
Immediately after the Harvest Lunch, our PCC members, along with those from St John’s, will be meeting with Archdeacon Karen up at St John’s Church to discuss how we might work together to make progress with the appointment of a new Vicar for both parishes. Please pray for us as we discern a way forward.
On Monday we have All Age Worship Singing at St Thomas, at the new time of 4.30 pm. All are welcome, especially our Sunday School families, as we practice singing some new hymns and old favourites with joy and confidence. Please do come along if you can – it’s really informal and enjoyable, whether you’re a “good” singer or not!
The following Monday, 14th October, 7 pm at St Thomas’, all are welcome to our PCC PLUS – ECO CHURCH. See the poster below for more information.
