land, traditionally this would have been barley, a spring crop and was celebrated
in March/April. .... John 15.13 - No-one has greater love than this, but to lay down
one's life for one's friends. ... Looking at the life of the people in war torn lands.
Harvest What do we do for Harvest? Notes from this session will be found on the Synod Website at www.urcsouthwest.org.uk follow the links for Thinking ahead.
The Bible and Harvest The festival of Harvest, as we have it today, has its roots in three of the major Jewish festivals. The Festival of First Fruits The festival of Weeks The festival of Booths/Tabernacles, and sometimes known as the Festival of Ingathering. The festival of First Fruits (Lev 23:9) Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the reaping of the first grain they grew after entering the promised land, traditionally this would have been barley, a spring crop and was celebrated in March/April. Paul in 1 Cor 15:20 likens Jesus' resurrection to him being the first fruits of them that slept. The festival of Weeks (Deut 16:9, Lev 23:18) This is also mentioned in Exodus 34:10 and described more fully in Deut 16;10. It is actually called Harvest in Exodus 23:16 and celebrated the gathering of crops sown in the fields. It is called the festival of Weeks because it occurs 7 weeks after the festival of first fruits in May. In the later Jewish calendar it became Pentecost. The festival of Tabernacles/Booths (Deut 16:13, Lev 23:33) Sometimes known as the festival of Ingathering (Ex 23:16) because it was a time when Jews brought offerings of all their produce both from the threshing floor and winepress. In some areas today thanks are also given for the fruit of the sea. Later the Jews built booths from twigs to remember their wanderings in the wilderness and their temporary homes. At all these festivals offerings were brought and communal meals held which, along with being for family specifically mentioned the poor and strangers. The offering of fruit of the land was commanded by Moses in Lev 27:30 when he says that a tithe of produce of the land is the Lord's.
The Jews were encouraged to leave some crops at the edges of their field for the poor to glean and this forms the basis of the book of Ruth. This is often read during the festival of Booths. As you can see, from these Jewish festivals have come our desire to give thanks to God for His provision and to remember the poor. The natural next step was to collect produce and give it to needy people. For some this would have been a form of tithing. In Jesus time the Jews were still the mainly agricultural people they had always been and so Jesus used many examples in his parables. Parable of the sower Rich fool Wheat and Tares Workers in Vineyard and many more Today we often use the festival of Harvest to remind ourselves of the fragile nature of our planet. In Genesis God told us to be stewards of his bounty but we are realising that we cannot just go on using up our resources however abundant they may appear. We can also use it to remind ourselves of the injustice of the unfair division of food and other resources between various parts of the world. And the Bible has plenty to say on the subject of injustice both in the Old and New Testaments.
What does Harvest mean for us? Notes from this session will be placed on the website.
Sharing Harvest The Bigger Picture
remembering where we have come from (our story and the biblical context of Harvest), and how we have got here (the story of the community and our own journey)
Geographical
looking at contemporary issues for the world, drought, famine, flood ad how it affects people’s lives. Think also of the harvest of the sea and the challenges for the fishing industry – if you are a coastal community how about a sea supper.
Art & Drama
Sketches about harvest – resources on website and also material from Roots, Iona, Traidcraft, and One World Week. Do a word search on ‘harvest’ and use the words to build a story.
Sharing
Bread making is a good sharing activity, look at the story of wheat as it travels from the ground to the table. Hold a Barn Dance. Corn Dollies are a traditional past time with some pagan meaning enshrined about harvest (ichild.co.uk for corn dolly instructions)
Connecting
Involving Farmers and those who have worked on the land in the past. Think about the new harvests in a land where we do not grow as much as we used to. Scarecrow festivals have become popular.
Taking out
Hold a Harvest Festival in a home or Sheltered Accommodation, fill Shelter boxes as an alternative harvest.
Welcoming In
Schools often hold Harvest Assemblies invite them to use the church. Hold a promise Auction for a local charity.
Symbolism
Use a shopping trolley to collect goods or a tent (linking to the Festival of Tents)
Children’s Stories
Use Children’s picture books to explore issues around Harvest – Crispin the pig who had it all, Marvin wanted more, Tiddalik the Frog, The Magic Paintbrush, Milo and the Magical Stones.
Kingdom building
Explore issues of justice, fair trade, One World Week and the protection of the environment. (Hope for the Future Resource)
Remembrance What do we do for Remembrance? Notes from this session will be found on the Synod Website at www.urcsouthwest.org.uk follow the links for Thinking ahead.
The Bible and Remembrance The Bible Readings from the RCL for 11th November 2012 are as follows: Ruth 3. 1‐5, 4. 13‐17: This Book is the story of two widows, a mother and daughter‐in‐law, who return from Moab to Judah. One is returning to her own home after many years away, sad and feeling bitter about what has happened to her. The other is leaving her home to live as a foreigner in a new land among new people. When Naomi arranges for Ruth to meet Boaz, a distant relative of her husband, he helps out the two widows by buying a parcel of land from Naomi in order to give her security, and marrying Ruth through whom he provides a descendant for Naomi. We need to remember and support any war widows in our midst. Younger war widows of more recent conflicts are often well supported and people have great sympathy for them. But remembrance of older war widows or older ladies whose fiancés were killed is also important, as their loneliness can be just as poignant, especially if, unlike Naomi, they have no children or grandchildren. Psalm 127: A Psalm which extols the blessings of family life. As well as spouses, we should also remember parents who lose children not a thing which most parents in tins country think may happen to them when they bring children into the world. But it is often different in less developed countries where the death of
children is more commonplace. Parents therefore often have large families to ensure support for themselves in old age. Hebrews 9. 24‐28: The writer of the Hebrews interprets Christ's death as the one effective sacrifice that atones for the sins of humanity. Cf. Isaiah 53. 12 ‐ the servant will suffer by allowing himself to be put to death among transgressors thereby bearing the sins of many and making intercession for them. Mark 10. 45 ‐ the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. John 15.13 ‐ No‐one has greater love than this, but to lay down one's life for one's friends. The self‐offering of Jesus offers hope in the face of a world where there is so much violence and injustice. Christians regularly remember and give thanks for a lonely, violent death on a cross, in response to Christ's words at the Last Supper. We should also remember and give thanks for others who have given their lives for their friends, especially for any who may no longer have relatives or friends who remember them. Mark 12. 38‐44: Jesus condemned the Scribes who craved honour and exploited the poor by often taking their inheritance and resources from them through the Temple tax. For this, he says, they will be condemned. This teaching was illustrated by the example of the widow who sacrificed all she had to satisfy the demands of the temple authorities. This story takes us back to those who sacrifice much (including their lives) to satisfy the demands of warmongers. This can be linked with injustices in many parts of the world. War is a vast, ugly and problematic issue. There are no easy or glib answers about war', violence, justice and death. It is therefore appropriate to explore problematic Biblical passages where there is violence, even when there is puzzlement about where God is in the midst of it all.
What does Remembrance mean for us? Notes from this session will be placed on the website.
Sharing Remembrance The Bigger Picture Geographical
Story, what has brought us to this point? Understanding biblical perspectives, injustice and displacement. The importance of remembering. Looking at the life of the people in war torn lands.
Media links
Connecting
Taking Out
using TV (Birdsong, Downton Abbey, BlackAdder goes Forth, Band of Brothers) and Film (The Hurt Locker, Saving Private Ryan, O what a lovely war)to discuss the issues of war, using music to create atmosphere and experience (Britten’s War Requiem, Karl Jenkins – The Armed Man, Requiem and The Peacemakers). British Legion, wristbands and white poppies; linking with military chaplains (Stuart Turner, Clare Callanan, Mike Thomason, Michael Meachin); supporting local regiments with companionship and aid. Connecting with those whose lives have been changed by war. School assemblies, looking at some of the issues such as both sides praying to God, relationships, sacrifice, injustice. Those who have memories of war can go into schools to share their story
Space for engaging Prayers for peace, remembrance tree, community memory book Welcoming in remembering those lost in recent conflicts (pictures can be projected during prayers, scouts and guides (and they role they played in WW2) Art & Drama Poetry (WW1, why we wear poppies), Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Naboth’s Vineyard sketch. Children’s Stories Beegu, The Magic Paintbrush, Gentle Giant, I’m Sorry, The Whisperer Kingdom Building Reconciliation (Northern Ireland and Japan etc) More resources Resources for Harvest and Remembrance can be found in many of the widely used resource books from the Iona Community, Nick Fawcett etc. In addition you may find the following useful, although they are probably now out of print and you may have to look around for second hand copies or ask amongst retired ministers: Readings by Denys Thompson A Brightstone Book of Seasons by Tim Eady Celtic Daily Light compiled by Ray Simpson ‘Year round’anthologies published by CTBI Resources from other Synods will be found on the South Western Synod website www.urcsouthwest.org.uk follow the links to Thinking Ahead.