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SCRIPT

Please note: This script may not exactly reflect the transmission. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors.

Intro (outside):

DS: Good morning – welcome to East Sussex on the south coast of England.Ìý I’m Dave Steell, the Minister at One Church in Brighton.Ìý We’re a broad and inclusive church, full of brilliant but imperfect people who are trying to work out how the Christian faith makes sense in the real world.Ìý Today, we are celebrating Harvest; giving thanks to God for his generous provision and for those who work through the year to grow and reap crops to produce our food.Ìý We especially remember those for whom food is in short supply in our communities and overseas.

In the Bible, Paul encourages the Thessalonians to give thanks in all circumstances, and that is reflected in our music today. Our opening hymn is Come, ye thankful people, Come…

HYMN: Come, ye thankful people, come Music: Bob Chilcott; Words Henry Alford (1810-71)

DS:

Loving God, we welcome you into this place and into this time. We don’t take your loving presence for granted, we acknowledge that we’ve done nothing to deserve this mercy but we’re grateful, knowing that you are with us and that you are for us, in all times and in all places, provides us with such joy and hope.ÌýÌý

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We feel especially grateful to you God in this season of Harvest, where we’re reminded that you are not only interested in the eternal souls of your people but that your provision of food and drink, and the beauty of your creation, sustains our bodies and nourishes our minds day after day.ÌýÌý

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ÌýAmenÌý

The music this morning has been written especially for Harvest by the composer Bob Chilcott.Ìý Bob explains some of the ideas behind the songs…

Bob Chilcott:

For me harvest is a time not only to reflect and give thanks but also to look forward with hope.Ìý

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When I wrote my piece ‘The Song of Harvest’ in 2021,Ìý I looked to combine a sequence of texts with music that might encapsulate these feelings. I wanted to write a simple expression to reflect on some thoughts of how the concept of harvest might relate to us all as we move forward, through sustainability, community, giving, hope, care, and, perhaps most importantly, thankfulness. I decided that the inclusion of new hymn tunes to well known texts was an important aspect of the piece.Ìý We were delighted to be joined

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After that opening setting of the stirring hymn text by Henry Alford, ‘Come, ye thankful people, come,’ I hope congregations might feel inspired to embrace the new, encouraged by the words of Psalm 96, ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.’

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And so we continue with a setting of three well known verses from Psalm 118, that greet the new day and urge us to both look forward with hope and to give thanks to God: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made: we will rejoice and be glad in it.’

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HYMN 2 – This is the day

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DS:Ìý Our readings and prayers this morning will be from those in the One Church Community.Ìý Sarah will bring us our first reading….

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OT READING:ÌýIsaiah 55

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Traditionally, at this time of year, farmers brought in the crops that supplied their community through the year.Ìý We want to remember God as creator and thank Him for the good things He provides.Ìý At our church in Brighton, we support our own community through the growing of food and serving those who need it most.Ìý

Our own project called Chomp, is passionate about supporting families who find themselves in challenging circumstances. We run a school holiday lunch programme, where family members are taught life skills, including learning how to cook for ourselves and others, how food is grown and produced, and balanced nutrition.

Rock Farm is a place where we grow organic fruit and vegetables for markets in Sussex and support a wide range of vulnerable groups.Ìý Its located in the West Sussex countryside.Ìý I’ve gone there to meet the team who run it and some of those they serve…

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PACKAGE ON ROCK FARM

HYMN 3 – For the beauty of the earth Music: Bob Chilcott; Words FS Pierpoint (1835-1917)

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NT READING:ÌýJohn 6

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The Isley Brothers’ song, Harvest for the World, includes the line ‘half of us are satisfied, half of us in need’.Ìý Sadly, that has never been truer than today.Ìý The charity World Vision estimates up to 783 million people in the world – roughly 1 in 10 people on our planet – are facing chronic hunger.Ìý The primary reasons for this range from armed conflicts, post-Covid 19 factors and extreme weather.Ìý Earlier this year, flash flooding due to intense rainfall hit many regions in East Africa.Ìý With it, the rainwaters obliterated 50 thousand acres of crops, in an area which has struggled for years with food insecurity, sometimes bordering on famine.

John Njoroge looks after vulnerable children in Mai Mahui in Kenya and has told us of the impact on this year’s Harvest…

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PACKAGE FROM JOHN NJOROGE (includes excepts from ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World News, 30th April 2024)

Bed: Lending a Hand, A Light of Hope

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HYMN 4 – King of Glory, King of Peace George Herbert (1593-1633), from The Temple (1633)

DS: SERMON

I’ve recently started to bake my own bread. I know that for some, baking their own bread is a common practice, but I know that in reality the majority still buy their ‘daily bread’ from a supermarket or local store, but now that I’ve learned to do it myself I hope that I never go back.

ÌýThe significant difference is that for the first time in a very long time, I am acutely aware of the whole chain of activity that needs to be in place before I can pop a slice of bread into my toaster. I didn’t want to just use any old flour, so I did a bit of research and I try to buy my flour knowing where it was grown and where it was milled, in fact I buy it from a little cooperative, run by volunteers out of an old garage at the end of our street! being this intentional in turn makes me think about the product I hold in my hands. Each time I fill the mixing bowl I remember that a farmer, at some point, turned over the soil in their field, drilled wheat seed into the ground, fertilized the earth, made sure it had enough water, and hoped that they’d done everything they could to encourage a good, healthy yield come harvest time…and then, go out into the fields to bring it all in – all that before it’s been transported for milling, processed and packed by more workers before being driven to distribution centres by lorry drivers and eventually delivered into my local shop, where finally the friendly shop volunteer takes my money and I carry it home. It’s just one product but that whole ecosystem of interconnected, hard work had to be in place to put a ‘simple’ bag of flour onto my kitchen worktop.Ìý

And this, in a rather trivial way, makes the whole purpose and meaning of the celebration of Harvest so important. In the words of American poet and farmer, Wendell Berry "eating is an agricultural act."

Cultivating gratitude for our food can and should be a powerful spiritual practice. The Psalmist marvels at God's provision through the earth when he says, "ÌýYou cause the grass to grow for the cattle and plants for people to cultivate, to bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine and bread to strengthen the human heart." (Psalm 104:14-15)

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Again the wisdom of Wendell Berry suggests, "To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of Creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skilfully, reverently, it is a sacrament." I love that sentiment – being ‘truly thankful’ for our daily bread, or corn flakes, or coffee, or pizza or whatever you are about to eat or drink next can be turned into a sacramental act when by pausing to give thanks, by chewing just a little bit more intentionally, in order to taste the goodness, taste the effort, taste the journey of what you’re eating turns the seemingly ordinary in something extraordinary that is pure, undeserved gift. And if you’re fortunate enough to be eating a meal with others today, even if it’s just a mug of tea and a biscuit, that table that you sit around or the chairs that you sit next to each other on becomes holy ground.

ÌýAs we enter this season of harvest, may we cultivate deeper gratitude for our food and where it comes from. May we approach the table as sacred space, eating with reverence and joy. And may we be inspired to live in ways that honour the precious gift of creation, becoming co-creators of a more just and sustainable world.ÌýAmen.

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HYMN 5 – Through all the changing scenes of life

Music: Bob Chilcott; Words: Nahum Tate (1652-1715) and Nicholas Brady (1659 – 1726), New Version of the Psalms of David (1696)

PRAYERS

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Prayer 1

Heavenly Father,Ìý

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As we gather in this sacred space to celebrate Harvest, we come before you with grateful hearts.ÌýÌý

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Thank you for the bounty of the earth, for the fruits of the fields, and for the blessings that fill our tables.ÌýÌý

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In this season of harvest, we reflect on the beauty of your creation. We are reminded of the cycles of nature, the changing seasons, and the care you provide. As the fields yield their produce, may we recognise the hard work of farmers and all who labour to bring food from the earth to our plates. We give thanks for their dedication.Ìý

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Amen.

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Prayer 2

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Lord, we also remember those for whom food does not come easily. We pray for those who struggle to find enough to eat, for families facing hunger and hardship. Move the hearts of those who create and sustain the unfair practices that have created such inequality in the world, and show us how we can consume in ways that reflect the values of your Kingdom.Ìý

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Help us to be wise stewards of the earth, to nurture the land, and to ensure that future generations may also enjoy all that it brings to us.Ìý

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We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.Ìý

Closing Blessing – DS

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May the God of the harvest bless you with a heart full of gratitude.Ìý

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May you find joy in the abundance of creation and share that joy with those around you.Ìý

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May you carry the spirit of generosity and compassion into the world, nurturing the seeds of kindness and love wherever you go.Ìý

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And may the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds now and always.Ìý

Amen.Ìý

HYMN 6 – Now thank we all our God Music: Bob Chilcott; Words: Martin Rinkart (1586 – 1649), trans. Catherine Winkworth (1827-78)