02/10/2011

Please note:

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.

LIVE:

Hymn: Come ye thankful people, come.

The Revd Peter Privett:
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
ALL: burst into jubilant song with music;

make music to the Lord with the harp,
ALL: with the harp and sound of bells.

With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn,
ALL: shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

Let the rivers clap their hands,
ALL: let the mountains sing together for joy.
Let us all make a joyful noise unto the Lord

The Revd Peter Privett:
Let us pray:

Eternal God,
you crown the year with your goodness
and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season:
grant that we may use them to your glory,
for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
ALL: Amen.

The Revd Peter Privett:
Our bells have called us today to worship the God of the harvest. As the leaves begin to turn, it’s the time of year when we’re reminded of those idyllic rural scenes of golden hay being gathered and baskets of fresh produce being picked in their prime as the church bells from the nearby village ring out over the fields.

First published in 1969, Ronald Blythe’s book ‘Akenfield’ is a portrait of an English village told through the eyes of one of its inhabitants. In it, there’s this passage which gets to the heart of people’s passion for campanology. It’s read for us by Clarke Walters, one of our bell-ringers.

Clarke Walters:
Reading from ‘Akenfield’ (Ronald Blythe)

The Revd Peter Privett:
Since earliest times, humans have expressed a desire to give thanks for a plentiful harvest. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles represents this. But Harvest Festival as we know it owes its origins to The Revd Robert Hawker who in 1843 invited his parishioners to a special service of thanksgiving for the harvest at his church in Morwenstow, Cornwall. Such was the success of this that the idea quickly spread and many hymns were written for the annual Harvest Festival.

The choir are going to sing one of the most popular harvest anthems now; a setting by Maurice Greene of words from Psalm 65 – ‘Thou visitest the earth and blessest it’.

Choir: Thou Visitest the Earth (Greene)
(Choir, organ, solo violin)

The Revd Peter Privett:
Rugby may be an old market town famous for its school but, like other county towns and cities, its more recent history has been driven by the arrival of the railway in the nineteenth century, bringing with it a modern age of industry and technology.

Despite the gifts of fresh and tinned produce we traditionally bring to church, many of those attending Harvest Festivals these days may feel far removed from bringing the harvest home. And yet as we look at the world around us, we can be filled with a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty of all that God has made.

Jesus talks about the beauty of God’s creation and our place in it in the Sermon on the Mount.

Lorraine Knaggs:
A reading from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, beginning at verse 25.

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The Revd Peter Privett:
Before we hear from the Rector of Rugby – The Revd Dr Mark Beach - our next hymn – All you works of God by Marty Haugen - gives voice to our praises of God for all that he has created

Hymn: All you works of God (Marty Haugen) omitting v2

The Revd Dr Mark Beach:
The passage that Lorraine read to us comes from the Sermon on the Mount, an extended and playful reflection by Jesus on a whole range of subjects. Playful, yes. It’s not a detailed theological treatise but more in the style of the Rabbis who told stories and gave illustrations from everyday life, with a smile on their faces and a lilt in their voices.

Jesus, rather like Bob Marley , says Don't worry, 'bout a thing, everything is gonna be alright." Using phrases that have become a part of everyday conversation, Jesus points to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field both of them signs on the beauty of God’s creation that we celebrate today.

Our Harvest Festival is more than just a chance to give thanks for what has been grown, it focuses our minds on our use of the resources of the world. So often we hear stories of drought and famine, of exploitation of rain forest and the destruction of habitats on which rare creatures depend. In our own country we’ve recently been reminded of the dangers faced by those who harvest coal and, at this time, our prayers are with the families and friends of those affected. We hear these stories and yet feel powerless to affect their outcomes and I imagine fearful for the future of our planet.

Jesus’ wonderful storytelling of birds and lilies reminds us that whilst our survival on earth is dependent on food and drink, what matters is the Kingdom of God; focus on the things God wants for us and all the rest, food and clothes will fall into place.

So what’s this Kingdom of God like and how can seeking it help us to understand how we can live on this earth in a way that honours God’s creation, not abuse it, so that we really can say “Don’t worry…”?

I know, it’s all too easy to say “don’t worry”, but there are people in this parish deeply anxious about what they will eat and buying clothes can be the straw that breaks the back of the family budget. And so it will be in very many ordinary parishes across the UK. One way of looking at Jesus’ teaching therefore would be to say that he’s naïve, that he simply doesn’t understand the pressures of modern living. But this won’t do. At the heart of the incarnation – God’s sending of his son to live among us - is the idea that Jesus does know what it’s like to face very human anxiety.

But nor is Jesus instructing us to give up earthly things entirely and bury our heads in the sand hoping that economic, social and environmental problems will simply go away, instead Jesus is inviting us to be focused on the kingdom of God rather than be distracted by the pressures of life.

So what do we mean by the Kingdom of God. I like to see it in the simple acts of kindness that people do for each other. Like the gift of harvest produce to the elderly of our community, or the soup kitchen we run – like many churches around the country - here in St Andrews. I also like to see it in those more costly acts – the long term carers of relatives who are sick or have special needs or the results of the onset of old age. the selfless work of many in our care homes, hospitals and hospices. Each gentle act of kindness revealing the Kingdom in our midst.

And I like to see God’s Kingdom lived out by those who care for our environment and challenge us to live in more sustainable ways; both at home and abroad drawing our attention to how we are neglecting or wilfully compromising our duty as stewards of God’s creation.

In all of this I see Kingdom values turning the accepted wisdom of the world upside down and offering an alternative way of living, reflecting the playful words of Jesus in our everyday lives.

This is what the bells of this and every church call us to, not to a building however beautiful, nor inspiring worship, though that is important, but to lives which reveal the kingdom of God to those around us, lives which work with our planet in sustainable ways and of gentle and godly service to the community around us – reflecting the love God showed for us in sending his Son Jesus Christ to live as one of us. There we will find the Kingdom of God.

Choir
Now the Green Blade Riseth (arr Nicholas Scott-Burt)
(Choir, organ, solo violin)

Rosemary Privett:
In our prayers, the response to the words “For what we have received” is “Make us truly thankful.”

Let us pray:

God of the Harvest who has given us so much, help us to be generous like you that the world may know your goodness and blessing. You spared no expense with your creativity. We give you thanks and praise for the riot of colour and astonishing shapes in the world around us. Thank you for every brilliant idea which we see before us in the Harvest today.

For what we have received
ALL: Make us truly thankful

Lord, when we next take vegetables from the fridge or cut a slice of bread or pour pasta into a pan, in humble gratitude, bring to our minds the chain of production that brought the food to our plate.

May we appreciate the complexity of our interdependence with the rest of the world. May our minds pause in grateful contemplation of your abundant love for us.

For what we have received
ALL: Make us truly thankful.

As we enjoy your rich harvest in this place today, we remember with sorrow and regret that our over consumption in the West is at the expense of others. Your earth can produce enough food for everyone but not for everyone’s greed. Strengthen the hands of the food agencies; reorder the priorities of governments and move the hearts of us all to recognise the face of Christ in the plight of the hungry.

For what we have received
ALL: Make us truly thankful.

And as we mark the 300th anniversary of our first set of bells here at St Andrew’s, we pray, heavenly Father, that those who ring, as well as those who hear, be called to worship you in Spirit and in truth. Through Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen

We draw our prayers together by saying the words taught to us by our Saviour Jesus Christ.

ALL: Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done,
in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that 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.

The Revd Peter Privett:
Like many congregations around the country, members of our church here in Rugby have brought gifts in thanks and after our worship today baskets will be prepared to take to housebound members of our congregations to enable them also to participate in our Harvest Festival. And so, before our final harvest hymn, -Alleluia, Alleluia, hearts to heaven and voices raise - we ask God’s blessing for these gifts and on us all for the week ahead.

The Revd Dr Mark Beach:
Lord, of the seedtime and the harvest,
you have blessed us with many things.
Bless the gifts which have been brought to your altar,
And send us from this place
further blessed and strengthened
so that we might live and grow and bear good fruit
to your praise and glory.
ALL: Amen

Hymn: Alleluia, Alleluia, hearts to heaven and voices raise
(incl. handbells? Vln?)

Organ voluntary // Live bells