Logo

 

Banner Image:   Baptist-Times-banner-2000x370-
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet



Why we celebrate Harvest 


We believe that Harvest is a wonderful opportunity to be reminded of the many things we can take for granted, and to refocus on God, writes Baptist minister Tom Duncanson 

 



harvest1
 

 

Come, ye thankful people, come, 
Raise the song of harvest home! 
All is safely gathered in, 
Ere the winter storms begin; 
God, our Maker, doth provide 
For our wants to be supplied; 
Come to God's own temple, come; 
Raise the song of harvest home!


So begins one of the traditional Harvest hymns written back in 1844. The idea of celebrating through song a successful season of food grown on the land actually goes back generations. Usually celebrated around the time of the ‘Harvest Moon’, i.e. the full moon nearest the Autumn equinox, around the end of September. The word itself comes from an old English word ‘haerfest’, meaning ‘Autumn’.

It’s not exclusively a Christian event, within the Jewish faith it is called ‘Sukkot’ or ‘feast of Tabernacles’.(Exodus 23:16 where its described as ‘the feast of ingathering’) In biblical times it was also customary to give a tenth of the Harvest to God and was one of the special occasions when God’s people were to be reminded that God was the source of all 

But a celebration of thanksgiving for the Harvest takes place all over the world and in different forms.

In times past in this country, it would be a community event and celebrated as the final harvest of crops were gathered. There would be a great procession around the final cartload as it came back to the farm where a great party with food, fun and dancing would take place. This would then conclude with a special service of thanksgiving in Church

However, fewer and fewer churches are celebrating Harvest as they once did. The idea that ‘all is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin’ does not have the same significance as before. There is little sense of seasonal food because most things can be bought anytime at a local supermarket. 

However, the more rural churches and those connected with the farming community as part of their parish or congregation will still recognise the importance of gathering a harvest and of giving thanks to God ‘for all his love’.

We continue to recognise Harvest and still celebrate in church around September /October each year. Heathfield is a market town in a rural area and therefore surrounded by local farms. 

Here at Union Church, we like to take this opportunity to recognise God’s goodness and provision in all creation as well as the relative abundance of food that is available to us. Within the Harvest Service we will give special thanks and praise to God for the way He reveals himself to us in the wonders of his creation, we take time to reflect on all we have and pray for those who are less fortunate than ourselves and lacking in many of the resources that we can so easily take for granted.   

The church is decorated with flowers, fruit and vegetables. It often includes a special bread that has been prepared and baked in the shape of a wheatsheaf – even to include a little mouse! 

Much of this is ‘token and symbolic’, however we also combine this with an abundance of tinned and dried produce that will go to a local foodbank. This way we recognise the needs that are also evident within our own communities in these days. Alongside, we also link with an organisation that works overseas, particularly in third world countries. This generally means we take up a special offering and make a significant donation to that work which could be towards the provision of fresh water, or seeds to encourage own food produce or even to support some specific work in a school or hospital. In so doing we again recognise the ‘relative abundance’ we have in comparison to other places and needs around the world. 

We believe that Harvest is a wonderful opportunity to be reminded of the many things we can take for granted, and to refocus on God who is the master designer and creator, who provides us with so much but also has made us stewards of all he has made, with a responsibility to care for this world as well as each other.



Image |  Unsplash



The Revd Tom Duncanson has been a Baptist minister for 40 years and is currently minister at Union Church Heathfield, East Sussex. Tom is a local minister to Same Boat Music. Andy Bodkin, director of Same Boat Music, met Tom when he was chairman at a local hospice and Tom was the chaplain. They share a passion for seeing churches grow.

Check out Same Boat Music's new album For the Harvest. It includes songs for all ages that explore themes of thankfulness and celebration that are key to a successful harvest festival. For 20 per cent off any digital album until 25 December use the code FRIENDS20 at the checkout.



 

Baptist Times, 12/09/2019
    Post     Tweet
Sharing the Christian story with your local schools
A presentation that has seen hundreds of thousands of pupils learn more about the Christian faith at Christmas and Easter marks its 30th anniversary next year – and it is hoped even more churches and schools could be involved
‘It will help you encounter Jesus in new and deeper ways’
Mosaic Creative has announced the release of a new book and audiobook of biblical monologues for churches called Following the Son by Jackie Mouradian
Different types of small church
The Small Church Connexion team is testing out different categories of small church, from a new plant to one that is choosing to close. These are imprecise categories which need to be fleshed out, but can help us strengthen the resource we offer
My journey to becoming a national hockey umpire
Interview with Annette Golding, a Baptist church member who became a Level 3 hockey umpire in 2022
‘Enabling people to be deeply human in safety’
Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries equips the church to support mental health and wellbeing. Baptist minister Shaun Lambert spoke with its UK Director Corin Pilling
Is generosity the new evangelism?
A generous life has the power to change lives today, writes Wendy Pawsey, head of giving for the Evangelical Alliance, and author of Generous with a Capital G, part of the 2024 Big Church Read
     The Baptist Times 
    Posted: 11/09/2024
    Posted: 05/02/2024
    Posted: 16/12/2023
    Posted: 15/12/2023
    Posted: 06/12/2023
    Posted: 27/11/2023
    Posted: 01/11/2023