Harvest Festival - a sermon
This can be heard here
25th June 2017, Year A - 12th Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Readings:
Psalm: Psalm: 86:1-10, 16-17
First Reading:
Genesis 21:8-21
Second Reading:
Rom 6:1b-11
Gospel: Matt 10:24-39
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
winter
seems
like there is 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
actually – looked at picknz.co.nz tells
me that April to August are the peak months for workers in the Bay of Plenty.
-
picking
mostly finished
-
pack
house work continues
-
turns
out this is a good time for a harvest festival
what does harvest festival mean to you?
(ask?)
plenary
2. What is harvest festival about
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. gives us a chance to think about all those
who work the land
land
owners, famers, orchardists
many
people work for them
people
work companies support them – research, sales and export, banks
d. 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 garages
and
crammed into houses 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 cluster of
9 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, and
water
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
è come cost to our fellow creatures
-
are
at time treated appalling badly
it is in our hands to stop it.
6. People Welfare
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
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.
7. Global Degradation
as we celebrate harvest festival
invited to be aware of cost of harvest on our
planet
water
ways
supply
clean water here and around world
and in this era of Trump
reminded that some of our farming practices
are also one of our significant contributors to global warming
dire ramifications now for people around world
including brothers and sisters in the Pacific
8. 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.
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