Harvest Festival
Listen to this sermon here
Gate Pa – 28th
June 2015, 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings:
Psalm:
Psalm
130
First
Reading:
2 Samuel
1:1,17-27
Second
Reading:
2 Corinthians
8:7-15
Gospel:
Mark
5:21-43
What I want to say:
Te
explore what harvest festival is about, and to link that with Jesus offering of
hope and life to both people in today’s reading.
What I want to happen:
People to reflect on what it is the
are giving thanks for, and to be inspired to generously offer more of
themselves
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
why have harvest festival?
interesting
thing to do in middle winter
not
much harvest around
many
thoughts being in garden seems little hard in this cold weather
many don’t garden
buy food supermarkets and shops
so why have one?
ask
2. Some reasons
Tradition – a lot people grew up with harvest
festivals
important
event life their communities
continue
to be important
opportunity to give thanks both joy gardening
harvest
that our labours have reaped
simple
joy in growing things in own land
being
able eat what we have grown
today
we give thanks for that
in doing so also acknowledge that all this is
God’s gift to us
all
that is, belongs to God
who
shares with us.
all we have, is a gift – not ours by right
not
just fruit of our labour
but
gift of generous and compassionate God
so on this harvest festival we give thanks to
God who is the giver of all this harvest
in light that – we can also give thanks that we
live land where most people have more than enough to survive, more than survive,
to live reasonably well
easy access to food, medical care – all things
too often take granted
so
today we give thanks for all that
same time invited to be mindful of all those
for whom access to food is precarious
for
whom life is precarious
bring
to mind and pray for all those for whom this is not the reality
invited to be as generous and as compassionate
as God we encounter in our own experience of harvest
part
of today is offer this to Food bank
provide
us opportunity gather significant offering food for foodbank
to
be a sing fo this generoisty
Lastly – our harvest festival comes during Matariki
– Maori new year
number
of traditional aspects Matariki that were important for Maori
one of these was that appearance of that vast cluster
of stars in dawn sky
sign
that time prepare land for kumara planting
so that there might be a harvest
good
harvest doesn’t just happen
relies on good soil and well tended land
this land we live in, and this planet we live
on, earth – are central to idea of harvest
Matariki and Harvest Festival give us
opportunity to remember
this
land, this planet are God’s greatest gifts to us
absolutely
central to our ongoing ability to live here
the
need for us to care for land
not just Matariki
all year around
So Harvest festival offers a lot more than
just our tradition of having a harvest festival
3. Two stories
in all this we are meet God compassionate and
generous beyond measure
and we give thanks for this compassionate and
generous God for our harvest
that
we have grown
and that we buy
same God meet stories about Jesus
today heard 2 stories shuffled into one
continue answer questions last few weeks
who
is this man?
with
what might we compare the kingdom of God?
normally both people at centre todays stories
had very little to do with Jesus
both people means and of honour
whereas
Jesus comes lowly family and small hicktown
little or no honour
also seen by many as rabbi
gives
certain amount honour
è
someone works very different way than
all other itinerant healers and exorcists that wandered that country side
he
does not charge
all he does is
free gift
no strings
attached
therefore
available for everyone
not
just those who can pay
(like
the woman)
challenge to
economic system based on paying for such healers
he keeps that up – he will put them
out of business
so we have these two
è
woman of means who spent all on those
offered healing at price
is still not better
now
without hope
because of illness ritually unclean
separated
her community and God
seen by all including herself as
judged by God
è
man who overwhelmed with grief
he watches his daughter die
maybe he too has spent money on
these healers
charged
money
preserved
the status quo of ill health
only help offered are gathering mourners
there
ensure she is farewelled well
both desperate
in their desperation they come to this unusual
rabbi
both risk much in doing so
woman
– punishment for being out in public unchaperoned
defiling
all those comes contact with
daring
to touch garment man to whom she has no family connection
man
risks loss honour and standing from family and community for coming to this man
both are met in their desperation by Jesus’ mercy,
generosity, compassion.
Unlike
everyone else they have come to... he cares
he
doesn’t do this because he is being paid
he does it because
that is who he is
In that moment of compassion and healing
they
meet God’s mercy, generosity, compassion.
all of which is offered for free
no
strings attached
we are reminded again of our questions
who is this man?
with what might we
compare the kingdom of God?
we might even add a question
what then is our
place in this kingdom?
4. Conclusion
Today we celebrate our harvest
because
harvest festivals are important traditions
offer opportunity to give thanks harvest
reminded God’s generosity in harvest
and reminded God’s provision of this land,
this planet
hear again our responsibility to care planet,
and this land
more than that
reminded to care for all who live in this land
with the same
compassion
and generosity we experience in the harvest
we
meet in Jesus
in
stories like todays
the one who heals the desperate and those they
love.
Bring forward the harvest.
offering of thanks Gods goodness
and
as yes to being part of God’s ongoing generous offering of mercy, compassion, healing
and life.
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