大象传媒

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This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

Radio 4 Opening Announcement:听
大象传媒 Radio 4. Sunday Worship celebrates Harvest now and comes direct from Wallingford Parish Church in rural Oxfordshire. The preacher is the Acting Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Colin Fletcher, and the service is led by the Rector, the Reverend David Rice.听 It begins as the choir sings听 鈥楥antate Domino 鈥� Cry out with joy to God all the earth, praise your creator with gladness.鈥�

Choir Introit听Cantate Domino 鈥� Margaret Rizza

Welcome: Revd David Rice
Good morning and welcome to our annual Harvest Festival. Built in the 10th century as a fortified town by King Alfred, Wallingford had a vast medieval castle constructed by William the Conqueror to guard this important crossing on the river Thames. In fact during its long history it鈥檚 had many important royal connections, and in the twentieth century the outskirts of Wallingford were home to that Queen of crime Agatha Christie.

Through all those long years though Wallingford has been dependent for its existence on agriculture; on the crops grown in the surrounding countryside. So today, as every year, we give thanks to God for the fruits of another season.

Let us pray.
Creator God,
You made the goodness of the land,
the riches of the sea
and the rhythm of the seasons;
as we thank you for the harvest,
may we cherish and respect
this planet and its peoples,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Our first hymn calls us to thanksgiving. As we respond to that call, children from our parish place bread and grapes on the altar as tokens of God鈥檚 goodness which he shows to us in these and so many other ways. 鈥淐ome ye thankful people, come.鈥�

Opening hymn: Come ye thankful people, come

Prayer (child)
Father in heaven all good gifts come from you. You send the sunshine and the rain, and it鈥檚 through your love and care that we enjoy the harvest time. Thank you for providing so richly for our needs and help us to share the good things we have with those who have little or nothing. Amen.

Revd David Rice
Well the children have finished bringing up their harvest gifts now, and the church looks truly glorious, with tins of all sorts of exotic things and flowers, vegetables festooning the windowsills and altar. And so it鈥檚 time for our first reading.
Bible reading听 鈥� Leviticus 23.9-14
A reading from the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 23, beginning at verse 9. The offering of the first fruits.

The Lord spoke to Moses: Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall raise the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may find acceptance; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall raise it. On the day when you raise the sheaf, you shall offer a lamb a year old, without blemish, as a burnt-offering to the Lord. And the grain-offering with it shall be two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire of pleasing odour to the Lord; and the drink-offering with it shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. You shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your settlements.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

David
Reflecting on the harvest gifts of God, the Wallingford Parish Choir Junior Choristers now sing 鈥楾he fruits of the land鈥� by David Ogden. 鈥楽ome people give time when they help for our sake, and others give talent with things they can make. God gave us these gifts which he spread through the land. So we bring you, we bring you the fruits of our hands.鈥�
Children鈥檚 Choir: The fruits of the land 听听David Ogden

David
This weekend, churches everywhere are celebrating the Harvest听 - but strange as it may seem, the Harvest Festival as we know it is a tradition that鈥檚 less than two hundred years old, and was invented by a local vicar in the tiny (but beautiful) North Cornish Parish of Morwenstow.

Reader

The Reverend Robert Stephen Hawker was a somewhat eccentric man. He was not what you might call a conventional priest, refusing to wear clerical black, instead wearing a purple three-quarter length coat, and underneath the coat a thick fisherman鈥檚 jersey, to show people that, like Jesus, he was a 鈥榝isher of men鈥�. On top of this he wore long sea-boots, a pink brimless hat and a poncho made from a yellow horse blanket. He talked to birds, invited his nine cats into church and apparently kept a pig as a pet.

Hawker became famous for giving Christian burials to shipwrecked mariners washed up on the shores of the parish, and was often the first to reach the cliffs when there was a shipwreck.

In 1843 he began a tradition which lives to this day. One September day, he nailed up, in the church porch, an open invitation to his parishioners 鈥淟et us gather together in the chancel of our church...and there receive in the bread of the new corn, that blessed sacrament which was ordained to strengthen and refresh our souls.鈥�
A few days later, on 1st October, the first Harvest festival took place, during which bread made from the first cut of corn was taken at communion. From these humble beginnings, Harvest festivals are now celebrated in churches throughout the world.

David
Giving thanks for Robert Hawker, and for the gifts that surrounds us, we sing the hymn 鈥楩or the fruits of all creation鈥�, sung to the tune 鈥楨ast Acklam鈥� by the composer Francis Jackson, who celebrated his 98th birthday on Friday.

Hymn: For the fruits of all creation

David
In a few moments our preacher will be the Acting Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Colin Fletcher, but first we hear words from St Matthew鈥檚 Gospel, describing the feeding of the four thousand.

Bible reading (adult): Matthew 15: 32-38
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 15, beginning at verse 32.

Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 鈥淚 have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.鈥� The disciples said to him, 鈥淲here are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?鈥� Jesus asked them, 鈥淗ow many loaves have you?鈥� They said, 鈥淪even, and a few small fish.鈥� Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children. After sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Fifteen years ago this week I was consecrated as a bishop to serve in this wonderful part of the country.

In many ways it was slightly strange as an appointment.听 My predecessor was a real expert in all matters to do with the countryside, and Oxfordshire is the most rural county in South-East England.听 My own upbringing and background had been in urban areas.听 Like most people I had never lived in a village let alone on a farm, and it therefore meant that I had a lot of learning to do.听 And the truth is that I have loved it.听 It鈥檚been fascinating to learn from farmers as they face the many complexities of their lives 鈥� whether caused by changes in the exchange rate, or global food prices, or the weather.听 Fascinating too to learn about the dynamics of different villages and market towns.听 But, above all else, it鈥檚 been wonderful to get back in touch with the rhythms of nature.

Immediately before coming here we鈥檇听 been living in central London.听 There I was aware of the seasons, but not in the same way as I am here.听 It comes partly from driving around the swathes of Oxfordshire鈥檚 countryside 鈥� but also from having a garden of our own and seeing the rhythms of growth, dying back, decay and new life at first hand.听 There is, as many of you know, something very special about eating something home-grown, and I could talk for a long time about my struggles with growing parsnips.

Spiritually too it has been energising.听 I鈥檓 not someone who blindly believes that line 鈥榊ou are nearer God鈥檚 heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth鈥� 鈥� apart from anything else I鈥檝e heard it used too often as a reason for not coming to church.听 But, nevertheless, there鈥檚 something very special about being in touch with the natural world.

Jesus may have been a carpenter, but he was also a man of the land.听 He travelled around Galilee and down the Jordan Valley or through Samaria at walking pace.听 He told stories about farmers and shepherds - about crops and vineyards.听 He encouraged his followers to think about the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.听 Harvest too featured strongly in his thinking.听 Not just, of course, because he watched it happening year by year, but because, the annual rhythm of the land was reflected in a string of festivals where he and his fellow Jews gave thanks to God.
Robert Hawker may indeed have been the originator of the many harvest festivals happening all around this country during these weeks, but services to celebrate harvest have been part of human experience down the centuries and central to them has been the desire to give thanks to God.

And even if we don鈥檛 have much contact with the land or the harvest in our own lives we can still give thanks for the precious gift of the food that sustains our lives.

When Jesus fed those 4,000 people with the bread and fish in our Gospel reading, I suppose he could鈥檝e short-circuited everything and just done the miracle without any specific references to God.听 But he didn鈥檛.听 Before anything else he gave thanks.听 Thanks not to those who had provided the bread and the fish听 - but to the God who is the Creator of all things.听 His Father was central to the whole of his life, as he delighted to remind people on a regular basis, and that showed itself in the very ordinary aspects of life like eating and drinking.

And what of ourselves?听 Most of us do not work on the land 鈥� hunting and gathering have been replaced by a trip to the supermarket. And the vast majority of us enjoy a superabundance of riches. So it鈥檚 easy to lose touch with the fact that food has to grow and be grown. Empty supermarket shelves, and bare kitchen cupboards 鈥� that鈥檚 what would happen if our crops failed. For those of us in plenty it can be hard to imagine, especially if you鈥檙e one of those gathered in a church this Sunday surrounded听 by the fabulous sight and smell of fruit and flowers. God provides it all.

So as we mark with thanksgiving this year鈥檚 harvest, it leaves us with a question 鈥� how, in the light of God鈥檚 generosity to us, can we respond appropriately to him?听 The people of Israel were given clear instructions in our first reading from Leviticus Chapter 23. They were told to 鈥榖ring the sheaf of the first fruits, and a lamb without blemish a year old for the burnt offering, and choice flour mixed with oil as a grain offering. In other words they were to bring the best of the harvest and give it back to God. It鈥檚 an attitude of heart. Earlier this week I was at one of the financial consultations about our diocese鈥檚 2016 budget. Bishops spend an amazing amount of time at such meetings, and of course I had to give a short speech. After it someone came up to congratulate me听 鈥� 鈥榊ou got it right,鈥� he said, 鈥榶ou began with the vision and only came on to the budget at the end.鈥櫶� What I cannot now remember is whether he also mentioned the word generosity but I think he did. It鈥檚 so hard to link the daily round of life 鈥� meetings, emails, jobs around the house and looking after the family,听 to the generous spiritual growth and maturity God wants for each one of us. But our vision must be to serve 鈥� and to bring him our first fruits, whatever they may be.

All these belong together 鈥� our money, our time, our gifts and abilities are part of a single whole.听 The key thing at harvest is to rejoice in the love of God and to respond in the same spirit.
This service gives a focus 鈥� but a focus to something that we can remind ourselves about throughout the year.听 For we worship God the Creator who gives us so much 鈥� our daily bread, our breath, life itself and supremely, of course, he gives us himself, to forgive us for our sins and sustain us in our daily lives.

Anthem听Look at the world 鈥� John Rutter

David
The anthem 鈥楲ook at the World鈥�, with music by John Rutter. And now we turn to our prayers.

Intercessor 1
Upon the rich earth send a blessing, O Lord.
Let the earth be fruitful
and its resources be hallowed.
We ask in faith:
we ask you to hear us, good Lord.

Intercessor 2
Upon human labour send a blessing, O Lord.
Prosper the work of our hands;
may all find dignity and just reward in their work;
free the exploited and oppressed.
We ask in faith:
we ask you to hear us, good Lord.

Choir: Taize chant 鈥楤less the Lord my soul鈥�

Intercessor 1
Upon the produce of the earth send a blessing, O Lord.
Guide us into a sustainable future,
and give us the will to share the fruits of the world.
We ask in faith:
we ask you to hear us, good Lord.

Intercessor 2
Upon the seas and waters send a blessing, O Lord.
Teach us to cherish the water of the earth,
and to conserve the seas, lakes and rivers.
We ask in faith:
we ask you to hear us, good Lord.

Choir: Bless the Lord my soul

Intercessor 1
Upon aid agencies send a blessing, O Lord.
Where the earth is parched and the well has run dry;
where war brings want, and children go hungry;
where the poor cry out for bread and for justice,
give hands to care and heal, and compel us to be generous.
We ask in faith:
we ask you to hear us, good Lord.

Intercessor 2
Topical prayer TO BE ADDED

听

We ask in faith:
we ask you to hear us, good Lord.

Choir: Bless the Lord my soul

We ask you to hear us, good Lord,
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

David
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

David
The poem that forms our final hymn is perhaps the most well-known of harvest words. They appear to come from the English countryside but were in fact written in Germany.听 They remind us, wherever we are, of the importance of thanksgiving for God鈥檚 generosity. We plough the fields and scatter.

Hymn: We plough the fields and scatter

David: Blessing

God the Father, who created the world,
give you grace to be wise stewards of his creation.
Amen.
God the Son, who redeemed the world,
inspire you to go out as labourers into his harvest.
Amen.
God the Holy Spirit, whose breath fills the whole of creation,
help you to bear his fruits of love, joy and peace.
Amen.

And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen.

Choir
A Gaelic Blessing 鈥� Rutter

Organ Voluntary