Harvest

Ice-breaker:

Are 'thank you' letters out of date?  What has replaced them?

Is there an etiquette to thanking someone by email or text?

How do you like to be thanked, -with wine, flowers, a fancy card, a phone call, etc...?

Can you remember an occasion when you did/made something for someone, and they didn't really appreciate it as you'd have liked. How did that make you feel?

Study:

Read:  Leviticus:23.33-43

What do you make of the strange description of how the people were to celebrate the Festival of Booths, or Sukkot? It was, and still is,  the nearest to what we'd call Harvest Festival now.  Once the annual harvest was gathered, the people of Israel were to mark the occasion as specifically described in the passage.

It was the final festival of the year. The booths they had to make were like the temporary shelters the farmers used to make in the fields at harvest time to be right ready to protect and then gather the harvest, and work late into the night, staying on the spot, under these coverings.  But our text tells us  that God instigated the practice to remind his people, in the future, of how they had had to live during their long journeying after the Exodus, with no one permanent home, and wandering in an arid desert.

We could say this is all about human reliance on God's benevolent bounty.

In our recognition of this, we respond by marking  festivals and special occasions.

I suggest that there are many aspects to celebration of special occasions within the faith context. Here are some.

·         The first might be the recognition of God's hand in their lives. Do we think ourselves self-sufficient, or reliant on God.  Take time to think about/discuss this. Be honest about how we really feel day to day.

·         Then, remembering  that we are the recipients of God's grace, leads to humility. When did you last feel humbled by God's goodness towards you?  What form did it take?  How do you recognise humility in others?

·         Gratitude.  Thanksgiving is one of the few things we mortals can do for God, in one sense.  How easy do you find it to remember to thank God for that goodness towards you?  Does corporate worship help?

·         A  systematic way of prayer and worship, -as in the Church's year with its festivals,  -means we don't leave important things out.

·         And one of the great spin-offs of celebrating something good, is that other people see us doing it.  It's a way of praising God and simultaneously telling his story to others.  Have you ever been able to explain some of our festivals to people outside the faith?  Have you ever been able to invite someone to church at Christmas or Easter?

Today's reading is particularly about harvest. Has Lockdown made you more aware of God's provision of the harvest, or are we, in the wealth West, so far removed from this?

What have you felt most grateful for in these terms, over the last 7 months?

How does it make you feel about the future?

The Leviticus passage said that this festival would have the purpose of telling each future generation about God rescue of Israel from Egypt, and their journey afterwards.

What do you think is the purpose of our Christian festivals in relation to our children, grandchildren, godchildren, nieces and nephews, etc?

Do you think this should be part of their education?

Action:

How might we have to change our lifestyle in the future, to enable others in the world to have a fair and good harvest?

How will we tell the story of God's love and provision, in a way that is relevant for the future?

Finish in prayer for those who are hungry, or have lost their homes due to climate change. And for those grieving for loved ones lost during lockdown.

E. Christine Bailey