All good gifts

 It was in 1843 when the Revd R S Hawker put up a notice on his Church in Cornwall saying that there would a special Sunday of thanksgiving, and that the old custom of making eucharistic bread from the first corn would be revived. It read: "Let us gather together in the chancel of our church, and there receive, in the bread of the new corn, that blessed sacrament which was ordained to strengthen and refresh our souls."

Harvest is a great festival celebrating God’s provision for us, and since that first Festival, it has been a great tradition in churches throughout the country to celebrate Harvest. It’s a day when many of us will remember going into church and literally being able to smell the fruit and the flowers… 

Today harvest is often a little bit different, we often now see tins or packets being offered which are much easier to distribute or other donations requested, but what hasn’t changed is the importance of recognising the gifts we’re given and saying thanks to God for them. 

Over the past weeks and months, we’ve been reminded a lot of the challenges of the increased cost of living. Many of us have worried about the increased costs we will face, for some the situation is even more desperate. These worries emphasise the fragility of some of the things we so often take for granted. The war in Ukraine, the costs of living and the continued recovery from the effects of the COVID pandemic have taken an enormous toll. 

But one of the things that never changes is God’s love for us and his eagerness to provide for us and in our readings today we are reminded of this. 

In the reading from Joel (2:21-27) we heard the words, ‘do not fear’ – they’re very common words in the bible written to remind us or assure us that God is in control… It’s been suggested that ‘do not fear’ appears 365 times in the bible, one for each day of the year. It does depend a little bit on interpretation whether that is the right number but it certainly appears a lot ! 

But sometimes we struggle with those words - we struggle so often because we want a solution yesterday to any problems, we desperately want everything to just be ok in our lives, in the world… 

But we know it’s not always like that, but into a sometimes dark world, we are reminded, ‘do not fear’. 

And then we have the gospel reading (Matthew 6:25-33). This is a beautiful reading assuring us of God’s love for each one of us, assuring every one of us of our value to him… Do not worry, I will provide, says God… I will provide physically and materially and spiritually. 

Each of these readings point us to God and our need to trust him. And these aren’t just nice comforting readings, although that would be enough. Actually though they are testimonies to God’s power – the Book of Joel points to tragedies of the past where God had stepped in and saved people, but also of times in the future when that would happen. God, through Joel is reminding people that he’s never going to leave them whatever the circumstances, whatever the situation. 

And in that gospel reading again Jesus is addressing some very real needs – people were worried about life and about the uncertain future. They were worried about practical needs. And Jesus said he would provide – they were to trust… 

And at harvest we celebrate the gifts that God gives us and we are called to just take time to think of what those gifts are – yes, they will be the traditional harvest gifts of food and the blessings that we are given in the work of the people that bring the food to us, but we can also think more widely of the gifts that God provides. 

One of the things that the last few years have emphasised I think is the importance of some of the things we take for granted. That’s not just heating or fuel for our cars, it’s not just being able to pop to the supermarket to buy something, but it’s relationships and the opportunity to just be with others… 

And for a church that is a crucial gift – the gift of fellowship, the gift of support… That gift isn’t reserved for gatherings within our church buildings but a gift to be enjoyed and shared.

As we came up to this church this morning, as we look around us we are reminded of so many of the wonderful gifts God gives us in creation – just the beauty of the scenery, whatever the weather is, is amazing… And we see God’s gifts too in food and fellowship, we see them in the building here standing for centuries as a testimony to the glory and wonder of God… Gifts of God to be treasured… 

And we are also to see them more widely in those people that are struggling, that can’t celebrate as we can this morning… As we enjoy God’s gifts, we’re also called to share those gifts as widely as we can – we share them practically and that is important and we also share them in our prayers. 

Harvest is a great festival – a time of celebration but it contains a challenge as well. In that notice that R S Hawker put up all those years ago he wrote of receiving the sacrament to strengthen and refresh our souls, but we don’t just do that for ourselves, we do it to equip us to go out and serve God, living our lives as a response to the gifts that he has given us.

At harvest we think especially of the food we have, we remember those in need as I’ve said, and we also give thanks to God for all of the gifts he gives, and most especially we are reminded of his gift of love, the love that allowed Jesus to go to the cross and to reach out his arms calling each one of us to come closer to him.

Responding to the gifts of God with the response he deserves is well beyond my ability, and without trying to make judgements, probably beyond the abilities of every person here, but that must never stop us from trying – to live out the message of Jesus, a message of hope, of peace, of joy, a message of salvation, of justice and a message of love for all people.

Harvest is about a recognition of God’s goodness and mercy, it is about thanksgiving, it is about our response to the gifts we have received. 

There’s a story from a book by an American Methodist writing about Extravagant Generosity: He calls the story ‘Caught Doing Good’ and I want to share just a little bit of that story :-

A congregation in a moderately-sized community had occasional homeless people who would ask for handouts. Often street people would be found sleeping on the front steps of the church. The staff developed rules, guidelines and policies for how to help or how to refer to those who asked for help. They had many discussions about the pros and cons of giving cash, vouchers, and addresses of other social agencies. One days discussion took considerable staff time with few conclusions.

As the pastor was leaving the church later that afternoon, he noticed the part-time caretaker carrying out the rubbish to the large bin in the alley. There was a homeless person sprawled out beside the bin, looking barely conscious. 

As the caretaker approached the bin, he set down the huge rubbish bag he was carrying, reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and removed a few dollar bills. Without having been asked, he walked over to the homeless person and gave him the money, and said something, then continued his work, and returned to the church.

The pastor was amazed by this extraordinary display of generosity. The part-time caretaker who earned less than anyone else on staff gave generously without even being asked, while the staff had spent several hours tying to figure out policies and procedures.

The pastor asked the man why he gave the money without even being asked and also pressed him about whether he thought the homeless person might misuse the money for alcohol or drugs. “I always do what I can,” the caretaker answered. “I give them a little money and say God bless you, because I figure that even though they may be pretty messed up, they are some mother’s son and some father’s child, and so I give them something. What they do with the money – well they have to answer to God about that. I just have to answer to God about what I do with mine.”

Harvest is a wonderful season because it’s a season when we focus on recognising God’s gifts and giving thanks – it’s a time when we focus on the love of God – a love that welcomes all, a love that begins with looking at the positive things in life and in people – a love that never focuses on what is wrong with our lives but focuses on what could be right…

For all the gifts we have and the gifts around us may we always be thankful and may we live out our thanks in our words and our actions. AMEN