Harvest Festival
This can be heard here
Gate Pa – 29th
June 2016, Year C 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings:
Psalm:
Psalm
77:1-2,
11-20
First
Reading:
2 Kings 2:1-2,
6-14
Second
Reading:
Galatians 5:1,
13-25
Gospel:
Luke
9:51-62
What I want to say:
Te
explore what harvest festival is about linking it with climate change and land
and water degradation, and to link all that with Jesus sense of honesty and
urgency
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:
So here we are again having a harvest festival
in
middle winter
not
much harvest around
where
weather is not very encouraging of being in garden
è many don’t garden so don’t have a harvest
buy food supermarkets and shops
so why have one?
(ask?)
2. Some reasons
As I said last year number good reasons
a. Tradition – a lot people grew up with
harvest festivals
important
event life their communities
allow
us to reconnect with our past
keep
some those traditions that we found life giving alive
b. harvest festival provides opportunity to
give thanks
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
c. 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
3. Foodbank and poverty
Part of that thankfulness is to give thanks
that we live in Aotearoa
in
Bay of Plenty
that
we live in a land of plenty
where most people have more than enough to
survive, more than survive,
most
have enough to live reasonably well
easy access to food, medical care – all things
too often take granted
but – and it is a big but
in this land of plenty
I think harvest festivals also invite us to be
aware of those who do not celebrate the harvest
an increasing number of people who work
fulltime
no longer have access to things many of us
take for granted
they cannot afford food and accommodation
for far too many
even
when they can afford it they still can’t find it
so we have people living in cars
and
crammed into houses and garages designed to hold a fraction of the number
living there
So today as we give thanks for God’s goodness
and generosity
we
are invited to be mindful of all these
look for God’s generous and compassionate work
among them
and
find ways to join that work
today we do that in very small way by giving
this food to the foodbank
And we continue to talk to those who are
offering bigger band aids
while looking and praying for some solutions.
4. Matariki
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
and absolutely central to our ongoing ability
to live here
is
the need for us to care for land
not
just Matariki
all
year around
And on that score we are not doing very well.
5. Animal Welfare
over recent years organisations like SAFE have
brought to our attention the result of the push for more efficient ways of harvesting
food from animals
sow crate
hen crates
use antibiotics on chickens
treatment of some bobby calves
to name just a few of the issues.
Our affordable food we find on supermarket shelves
come cost to our fellow creatures
are at time treated appalling badly
it is in our hands to stop it.
issues about how some farm labourers are
treated here in this country
overseas drive for greater profit is driving
small landholders off their land
by large corporation
to then work poor wages
or forced accept low prices for produce even we
here pay much more for it.
Groups like Fairtrade organisation, and Trade
Aid working help us buy ethically
finally as Marie and lance alerted us to a
couple f weeks ago
too often those who bring that harvest to our
shores are poorly treated as well.
Harvest festivals can be dangerous and uncomfortable
things if we let them.
6. Global Degradation - water
globally this planet we rely on for a harvest
for the food we eat
is not doing well.
farming and industrial practices here in New
Zealand and around world
ways that we create the harvest
are poisoning the water we need to survive
even in this country where govt is satisfied
with wadeable for many of our waterways
happy
continue farming practices that continue to deliberately poison our water
and
hoping that will not compromise our water supply overall
too many other countries water supply being
single biggest issue facing their people
as
highlighted by the CWS Christmas campaign in 2014.
including
our brother and sister Anglicans
I have to wonder what they think of our
damaging practices
and our giving away our water to sell back to
ourselves and overseas.
7. Global warming
some of our farming practices are also one of
our significant contributors to global warming
dire ramifications now for brothers and
sisters in the Pacific
Led youth of Diocese Polynesia – badly
affected by rising water levels and increase in ferocity and regularity of
storms
this year at General Synod to move motion that
invited Missions Board to create programme to help us be prepared for ongoing
disasters that will happen
them
to prepare
us
to respond well
and The Diocese of Polynesia in 2014
ask
General Synod to agree to divest of all fossil fuel investments and to actively
work to encourage other organisations to also divest.
and
this year to agree to actively seek good investments that address the issues
created by global warming
All these are our issues because this is God’s
earth
They affect God’s people
God’s creatures
They are affecting our brothers and sisters in
the Pacific and around the world
and they beginning to affect us
8. Luke
Our reading in Luke today is surprisingly
important
just feels like another story
Is significant turning point for Luke
who has had Jesus declare what he was about in
reading scroll from Isaiah in Nazareth
and then telling whole lot of stories
illustrate Jesus living that out
which
turns out were more than healing stories
held
strong theme of bringing good news to poor
that followed by John wanting clarification
about who Jesus is
few more stories
including calming storm and casting out legion
from man of Gerasene
–
showed his authority over powers of evil
mission of 12
transfiguration
Jesus comes point where turns his head to Jerusalem
end game has begun
this weeks readings have an urgency about them
there
is an urgency in Paul
that church in Galatia does not fall
into ways done things in past
does not fit in with rest society
continue
to stand out in their defiance of economic and social systems
stand
instead in the way of Christ
Luke has Jesus has tell people there is not
time to go home and say goodbye
stark
contrast to one readings could heard this morning about Elijah calling Elisha
Elisha
is allowed to go home and end that life well.
Luke and Paul both wanted that sense of
urgency to continue
Brother and sisters around world are imploring
us to again be urgent
urgent in our appreciation for this world
and how our actions are making their lives
very very difficult now
9. 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
and in this world with the same
compassion
and generosity we experience in the harvest
we
meet in Jesus
reminded
that there is urgent need to not be satisfied with things as they are
join in work finding new ways of living that
honour this world
and
all who live on it.
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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