Patrick Comerford
As we prepare for Harvest Thanksgiving Services in parishes throughout the united dioceses, some resources for sermons, intercessions and liturgical planning may be helpful at this time.
Autumn seems a good time to take stock in all those ways. The summer holidays are over, the children are back at school, colleges and universities have reopened. Before the clocks go back and the winter evenings close in, our Harvest Thanksgiving Services offer us the time to take a few steps back and just see where we are going.
It is time to take stock of the riches we have been blessed with, to realise what we have and what we no longer need, what we have been blessed with and what we can bless others with, what is there and what is missing.
The Harvest Readings this year (Year B, 2021) in the Revised Common Lectionary, as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, are:
The Readings (Year B): Joel 2: 21-27; Psalm 126; I Timothy 2: 1-7; Matthew 6: 25-33.
There is a link to the readings HERE.
Joel 2: 21-27:
We have had a year when the weather has been full of contrasts … sometimes there has been too much rain; sometimes there has been such little rain that we have felt threatened with a drought.
This first reading gives thanks for the ‘abundant rain, the early and the later rain’ (Joel 2: 23).
Both the rain and the sunshine are necessary for the growth of fruit, vegetables, grass and feed for animals.
Sometimes it is good to count our blessings. As the Prophet Joel says in this reading, ‘Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things’ (Joel 2: 21).
Psalm 126:
Psalm 126 is a liturgical song and part of public worship. When the people first returned from exile in Babylon, they hardly believed their good fortune, and they were ‘like those who dream.’ So great was their success that other nations recognised God’s mighty works on their behalf, and the people rejoiced.
But after the initial euphoria, they realise that ordinary, daily life is difficult. They ask God to restore our fortunes, and that the land be refreshed and be made fruitful with the waters of free-flowing rivers.
They may be sorrowful as they sow, but they still hope to gather the harvest in joyfulness, as God once more acts on our behalf.
All creation gives praise to God, and good times and bad times should both remind us not just of each season, but of the needs of others:
Those who sowed with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who went out weeping, carrying the seed,
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves. (Psalm 126: 6).
I Timothy 2: 1-7:
Bishop Tom Wright says that I Timothy 2 is the ‘hardest passage of all’ to interpret properly. This chapter deals with prayer and worship, but seems also to raise many challenging questions for us today.
Saint Paul is writing from prison in Rome to his disciple Saint Timothy, who is now in Ephesus (see I Timothy 1: 3). He urges Timothy to pray and to give thanks for everyone, including those who are in government and who hold power.
This prayer is not an endorsement of any government authority, nor is it passive or accepting. We are to pray for those in authority so that all may live ‘a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity’ (verse 2). Saint Paul uses the word ‘quiet’ several times throughout this chapter.
What things, what unmet needs, are preventing people living among us this harvest time from living ‘a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity’? And how might we pray this harvest season so that this may be rectified?
Verses 5-6 are set in poetical form to indicate that this might be an early credal formula. We are reminded that the gift of salvation in Christ is not just for us, but that Christ ‘gave himself a ransom for all’ (verses 5-6).
Matthew 6: 25-33:
The Gospel passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount. In verse 24, Christ has spoken of the impossibility of serving two masters: one cannot love both: ‘You cannot serve God and wealth.’
A key word in this passage is ‘worry’ (verses 25, 27, 31). The Greek word μεριμνάω (merimnao) means to be anxious, to be troubled with cares, to care for, look out for, to seek to promote one’s own personal demands or interests, to be preoccupied with or to be absorbed by.
To be preoccupied with food and appearances is to view life far too narrowly. Birds are an example of a proper attitude towards food (verse 26): they work hard to find it, but do not store it for possible future shortages.
Worrying and being preoccupied are futile. People desire a long life, but excess concern for it will not lengthen it (verse 27).
Wild lilies are abundant on Palestinian hillsides, but they are a dull brown for much of the year and are only brightly coloured for a few weeks (see verse 28). Yet even Solomon, known for his accumulation of wealth, could not compare to the God-given beauty of one such lily.
The grass ends up being thrown into the oven as fuel for cooking (verse 30). But if God cares for such plants, how much more will he provide for and clothe people who are faithful to him. So, we should not be preoccupied with your physical needs (verse 31).
Such preoccupations are wrong on two counts: those who do not follow Christ, the Gentiles, not knowing of God’s generosity, seek security in possessions (verse 32); and God knows the needs of his people, so worrying about them is to suspect him of forgetting or neglecting his people and their needs.
Our prime objective must be to put God first, to seek union with him, and to attain godly integrity or righteousness (verse 33).
Sometimes when I worry about some of the speciality foods I enjoy as a luxury are not available on the days I go shopping in local supermarkets, someone close to me gently reminds me that these are ‘First World’ problems, and she chides me to consider whether many people in Aleppo share these minor irritations.
Once again, we are warned against being over-ambitious about what we should eat, drink or wear. It is not that we do not need these things. But it seems that all too often we are the food we like others to see in our shopping trolleys or we prepare for our guests, the reputations of the wine we drink or serve, or the branding provided by the labels on the clothes we wear to give us social status or acceptability.
But life is more than food and the body is more than clothing (verse 25). Sometimes, we too easily set silly if not wrong ‘standards’ to maintain.
As Christ tells us in the Gospel reading, ‘Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’ (verse 33).
Matthew 6: 25-33 (NRSVA):
[Jesus said:] 25 ‘Therefore I tell you, 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? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 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? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’
Liturgical resources:
Collect:
Eternal God,
you crown the year with your goodness
and 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 our Lord. Amen
Preface:
And now we give you thanks
because you make us stewards of your creation,
to praise you day by day
for the marvels of your wisdom and power.
Post Communion Prayer:
Lord of the harvest,
with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation
and have shared in the bread and wine of the kingdom.
By your grace plant within us such reverence
for all that you give us
that will make us wise stewards the of the good things we enjoy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessings:
May God our creator,
who clothes the lilies and feeds the birds of the air,
bestow on you his care
and increase the harvest of your righteousness;
and the blessing …
God the Father, who created the world,
give you grace to be wise stewards of his creation. Amen.
God the Son, who redeemed the world,
inspire you to go out as labourers into his harvest. Amen.
God the Holy Spirit, whose breath fills the whole of creation,
help you to bear his fruits of love, joy and peace. Amen.
And the blessing …
Freely you have received, freely give.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Tend the earth, care for God’s good creation
and bring forth the fruits of righteousness.
Go in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
May God the Father bless you,
who first sowed the seeds of eternal life in your hearts,
May God the Son bless you,
who nurtures you with the rain and sunshine of love,
May God the Holy Spirit bless you,
who brings us all to fruition;
and may the blessing of God Almighty be among you and remain with you always.
Amen
Hymns:
In the Church Hymnal, Hymns 37-47 are identified specifically as being suitable for Harvest:
37: Come, ye thankful people, come.
38: Father, blessing every seed-time
39: For the fruits of his creation
40: Father of mercies, God of love
41: God, whose farm is all creation
42: Good is the Lord, our heavenly king
43: Holy is the seed-time, when the buried grain
44: Praise and thanksgiving
45: Praise, O praise our God and king
46: Tá an fómhar seo go haerach, céad buíochas le hÍosa
47: We plough the fields and scatter
In addition, the hymns in the following section, Care for the Created Order (48-50), and the preceding section, God’s World (23-36), may be helpful in planning hymns for Harvest services.
Bishop Edward Darling’s book, Sing to the Word (Oxford: OUP, 2000), recommends the following hymns in connection with the Harvest readings for Year B:
Joel 2: 21-27:
539: Rejoice, O land, in God thy might.
Psalm 126:
567:Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go.
356: I will sing, I will sing a song unto the Lord
712: Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
373: To God be the glory! Great things he has done!
I Timothy 2: 1-7:
518: Bind us together, Lord
319: Father, of heaven, whose love profound
419: I am not worthy, holy Lord
81: Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided
619: Lord, teach us how to pray aright
366: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
540: To thee our God we fly
Matthew 6: 25-33:
28: I sing the almighty power of God
6: Immortal, invisible, God only wise
657: O God of Bethel, by whose hand
365: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation
366: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
596: Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Harvest Resources:
Harvest and autumn resources are available each year from a number of organisations, including mission agencies and development agencies.
Parishes may also consider supporting the work of the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal Advisory Committee, the Church of Ireland’s World Aid Development Programme, which partners with mission agencies and NGOs who model best practise in development work.
USPG Harvest Resources: ‘Gardens for Life’
The Diocese of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert has worked closely in recent years with USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), one of the oldest Anglican mission agencies.
This year, the USPG Harvest Appeal is focussing on Zimbabwe, raising funds for projects including the wellness gardenswith the theme ‘Gardens of Hope’.
While Zimbabwe is on the way to reducing HIV and AIDS, many of those who live with HIV still face stigma around disclosing their status. To support local people, the Church of Zimbabwe’s Stigma Reduction Programme trains church leaders on issues of HIV and has created wellness groups that provide a network to people living with HIV. As well as emotional support, they offer access to food gardens to improve nutrition and help with developing sustainable livelihoods.
People living with HIV are facing the problem of food shortages during the Coronavirus pandemic. Food insecurity brings additional negative effects as good nutrition is a key factor for adherence to Antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. This may increase the rate of progression to AIDS and further exacerbate the level of stigma and discrimination. 848 people living with HIV are now participating in the wellness groups and this has been transformational for those in the programme.
The liturgical and prayer resources produced by USPG can be copied and pasted for use in service sheets, PowerPoints, or in online worship. They include:
● Liturgical and Prayer resources
● Script for an adult sermon (PDF)
● Script for All Age Sermon/Primary School Assembly (PDF)
● PowerPoint to accompany both the adult and All-Age Sermon
● Pre-recorded sermon for use in online worship
You can find these resources and more HERE.
Christian Aid Harvest Resources:
The Christian Aid Harvest theme this year is: ‘Sisters stronger together. United we can save lives.’
The seasons change, but love and community remain, strong and constant. Christian Aid asks, ‘Could you help more communities around the world build a new life, full of hope?’
In Malawi, women are struggling in the face of the climate crisis. Extreme weather is affecting crops; cyclones have destroyed homes, floods have washed away livestock.
The climate crisis is pushing them deeper into poverty. In the aftermath of floods, they have lost nearly everything. Food is scarce and there is no money to educate their children.
But people are uniting and changing their lives together.
With the support of Christian Aid, women are joining forces to change their lives and overcome poverty.
The Christian Aid resources this year include:
● Harvest stories
● Holding a Harvest Service
● Harvest Appeal Resources
● Harvest Walks
● Climate Justice Campaign
Find out how you can get involved HERE
Some intercessions:
Let us pray to God, the Lord of the harvest,
that he will bring to fruition all that he desires for his creation.
Lord of creation,
we see that the fields are ripe for harvesting:
we pray for your Church,
that it may be ready to gather fruit for eternal life.
Lord of the harvest,
in your mercy hear us.
You have created the universe by your eternal Word,
and have blessed humankind in giving us dominion over the earth:
we pray for the world,
that we may honour and share its resources,
and live in reverence for the creation
and in harmony with one another.
Lord of the harvest,
in your mercy hear us.
Your Son has promised that the Spirit will lead us into all truth:
we pray for the community in which you have set us,
for one another and for ourselves,
that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
in love and joy and peace.
Lord of the harvest,
in your mercy hear us.
You have given your people a rich land,
yet by sin we have made a world of suffering and sorrow:
we pray for those who bear the weight of affliction,
that they may come to share the life of wholeness and plenty.
Lord of the harvest,
in your mercy hear us.
Your Son Jesus Christ is the first-fruits of the resurrection
and will reap the harvest of the dead at the end of time:
we pray that he will gather us all together
with those who have gone before
in the banquet of the age to come.
Lord of the harvest,
in your mercy hear us.
Source of all life
and giver of all that is good,
hear our prayers and grant us all that is in accordance with your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
To illustrate parish newsletters, bulletins, notices or harvest service sheets, click these photographs for full-screen resolutions and download them for use. But please state: (Photograph: Patrick Comerford) where apprpriate.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000)
Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.
