35. Year B - Harvest Thanksgiving

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VERSION: 29 April 2002

HARVEST THANKSGIVING, YEAR B

Note: The Harvest Thanksgiving festival may be celebrated on any day of the church year, as is appropriate in the local context. It is customary in many places to commemorate the festival on one of the Sundays after Epiphany, normally before the beginning of Lent.

LITURGY

SENTENCES

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder for suggestions on using a Sentence.

God gives the grass for the cattle,

and plants for people to use;

he brings forth food from the earth,

and gives wine to gladden the human heart,

oil to make the face shine,

and bread to strengthen us. (Ps 104:14,15 NRSV)

OR

The eyes of all look to you, Lord,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

(Psalm 145:15 NRSV)

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)

EITHER, traditional

Lord God, heavenly Father,

as you have graciously permitted us once more

to gather in the fruits of the earth:

Let your blessing continue to rest upon us,

so that we may at all times

gratefully receive whatever we need;

through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, modernised traditional

Lord God, heavenly Father,

we thank you that you have again

shown your kindness

by giving us the fruits of the earth

in their seasons.

Help us to use them rightly,

to your glory,

for our own wellbeing,

and for the relief of those in need.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Additional collects may be found under 'Prayer of the church' below.

FIRST READING

Joel 2:21-27 God restores fertility to the land

(Begin: 'The Lord said:')

PSALM

Psalm 126

Antiphon:

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. (Psalm 126:3 NIV)

SECOND READING

1 Timothy 2:1-7 Pray and give thanks

ALLELUIA VERSE (Matt 6:33 NRSV)

Alleluia, alleluia.

Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you as well.

Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Matthew 6:25-33 Do not worry - God cares for you

(Begin: 'Jesus said:')

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Thank you, Lord Jesus,

for assuring us that our heavenly Father cares for us.

Strengthen our faith and keep us from worrying.

Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for all the good things

you continue to provide for us.

Don't let us take your gifts for granted

or abuse them.

Instead, help us always to rely on you in faith.

Use us and what you have given us

for your good purposes.

Amen.

OFFERING

Consider enhancing the offering at Harvest Thanksgiving in one or all of the following ways.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray for God's blessing on ____.

We praise you, Lord our God, creator and king of the universe.

You have created the world and made everything that is good in it.

You make the sun shine on the earth and water it with showers of rain.

You have produced plants and animals from the earth

and have given it to us as our home.

You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living creature.

You have provided us with everything for our enjoyment

and give us times for work and rest.

Bless this/these ___,

so that by it/them life may be nourished and sustained here on earth.

Give us health and strength for our work,

so that we may rejoice in your goodness

and use your good gifts for the benefit of all your creatures;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

I bless this/these ____

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Call to prayer

Our heavenly Father cares for us and knows our need. In our prayer, let us cast our cares on him in the name of Jesus,.

The regular response, OR:

Lord of the harvest,

care for your people.

Suggested intercessions

Concluding prayer

Lord God, unless you care for us and give us what we need, all our work is in vain. Keep our hearts and minds set firmly on your word, so that we may always trust in you, and be generous with the gifts you have given us. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Additional collects

Lord God, our heavenly Father,

we praise you for your goodness,

and thank you

that you have protected

our crops/gardens/orchards/---,

and given us a harvest.

May we enjoy what our labour has produced

in health and peace,

never forgetting to honour you

by praising you for all your gifts to us

and by sharing them with those in need.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Merciful Father,

you have protected the fruits of the earth

and crowned the year with your blessing.

Bless and protect

the living seed of your word

which has been sown in our hearts,

so that we may produce

the fruit of your word

and always offer ourselves to you

as a living sacrifice of thanks.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

For use in times of a failed harvest

Heavenly Father,

when you brought drought upon the land

in the time of Elijah the prophet,

you provided for the widow and her son,

so that the little they had

was sufficient for them.

Comfort us and provide for us

in this time of drought (/failed harvest).

Give us patience,

so that we may not despair of your help.

Preserve the little which we have,

and by your blessing

let our present need

work for our good.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Heavenly Father,

you raised your Son

to be the firstfruits

of the resurrection from the dead.

As we have received

the body and blood of our risen Lord,

gather us into your kingdom

at the final harvest.

We ask this

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

Go in peace, with thankful hearts to serve the Lord.

Thanks be to God. OR In the name of Christ. Amen.

HYMNS AND SONGS

FOR THE READINGS

Please note:        * =        Modernised version available

      G3, G4 . . . =        Guitar chords available in the Music Package 3, 4 . . .

      GS =        Guitar chords in the Supplement to LH

First reading : Joel 2:21-27

LHS

AT

TIS

Second reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

LHS

AT

TIS

Gospel: Matthew 6:25-33

LHS

AT

TIS

PSALM 126

For musical settings of Psalm 100, see Music Packages 4, 6 and 8. See also TIS 80 Lord delivered Zion from bondage.

The following metrical paraphrase of Psalm 126 by David Sch¸tz may be sung to Beethoven's Ode to Joy (LHS 895, TIS 152). If reproducing this version, please put 'Words (c) David Sch¸tz' at the beginning or the end of the psalm.

When the Lord restored Jerus'lem,

then we were like those who dream,

then our mouths were filled with laughter,

and our tongues with shouts of joy.

Then they said among the nations,

'See, the Lord has worked for them.'

Yes, the Lord has done this for us,

we rejoice and sing his praise!

Like a river in the desert,

Lord, restore us once again.

May all those who sow with weeping,

harvest with great shouts of joy.

Those who bore their seed in sorrow,

going out to sow in tears,

will return with shouts of gladness,

bringing in their sheaves of grain.

HYMNS ON HARVEST THANKSGIVING AND CREATION

See the following.

LHS

560–568

808–812

AT

TIS

Hymns under Harvest, Creation, Gifts of creation in the index of subjects in the harmony edition

BAPTISM

If there is a baptism on the day of Harvest Thanksgiving, the following songs from the 'All Together' books are appropriate:

CONFESSION OF SINS

Song 110 from All Together Again, 'Kyrie, good God', gives a sobering note on what otherwise can be a festival celebrating only our own personal good fortune. The 'Sorrowing Song', 286 in All Together Everybody (TIS 689), is also appropriate as a confession song for Harvest Thanksgiving.

GRADUAL SONG

The song 'My word is like the snow and rain' (ATN 39) may be sung before the gospel to welcome the gospel of Christ.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

LH 566, 'Christ by heavenly hosts adored', may suitably be used for the general prayer at a Thanksgiving day.

OFFERTORY

The following song, written by David Sch¸tz, is sung to tune Nun danket alle Gott (LH 437, TIS 106). It may be used either for the offertory or for the song during the offering.

Blest are you, Lord our God,

the King of all creation.

Your goodness gives to us

the gifts we now can offer,

which daily work and toil

have earned to use for you.

Take these, for they are yours,

and use them for your good.

Blest are you, Lord our God,

the King of all creation.

Your goodness gives to us

this bread and wine we offer,

which earth, and sun, and rain,

and human hands have formed.

Take it and by your word,

prepare the feast of life.

The following hymns and songs could also be used for the offering.

LHS

AT

If there is to be a vocational focus during the offertory, the following hymns are appropriate for the offering song.

LHS

AT

TIS

NEW HYMN: PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

The following hymn is by Ed Koch, and sung to the tune Bunessan, LHS 811, ATA 123 or TIS 156 (Morning has broken).

Praise and thanksgiving,

Lord of creation,

for life and living

in this brown land;

Austral's wide island

rimmed by blue ocean,

clothed with gummed mountains

and malleed plains.

With forebears believing,

Lord God, you blessed us,

bearing oppression

for their belief;

forsaking homeland

uprooted fam'ly,

braved the wild oceans

rather than yield.

Here among sandhills,       OR:       Here in gummed mountains,

dry rolling bushland,                wide-wattled valleys,

drought-wrested showers,                axes rang loudly

this was their home;                claiming the land;

pioneers sweated,                sweat, toil and hardship,

rolling and clearing,                eyes lift to heaven,

sowing and reaping                trusting the Father,

just to survive.                made this their home.

Children of scrublands [ /bushlands]

honour your forebears’

vision and courage

to serve their Lord.

Shepherd of faithful,

through them you blessed us,

gave us the freedom

to praise your name.

Praise the Creator,

our faithful Father;

praise the Redeemer,

obedient Son;

praise to the Spirit,

new life inspiring;

shout with the angels:

Alleluia!

NEW HYMN: O GRACIOUS LORD GOD

The following hymn is by American Lutheran pastor, Keith M Mueller. Permission has been given for its use in the following revised form. The tune is either Foundation (LHS harmony edition A4, TIS 578), or St Denio (LHS 392, TIS 143).

O gracious Lord God, in thanksgiving we pray

for all your creation, for night and for day,

for seedtime and harvest, for work and for food,

for friends and for family, and everything good.

But how can we praise your great goodness enough?

Our lives overflow with the proofs of your love:

your providence feeds us, your strength is our shield;

our prayers you have answered, our sicknesses healed.

For far greater blessings, we give thanks and sing,

for Jesus, our Lord, who has borne all our sin,

for mercy and grace in the baptismal flood,

and for sins forgiv'n in his body and blood.

For faith, hope and love, and your word shining bright

in church and in home filling darkness with light,

for freedom to praise you in this favoured land,

and promise of glory where one day we'll stand.

OTHER THANKSGIVING HYMNS AND SONGS

The following hymns and songs have a general thanksgiving theme.

LHS

AT

TIS

See under the heading 'Thanksgiving' in the index of subjects (page 1082, harmony edition).

SONG FROM A POEM OF BLAKE

Here is another song, adapted from a poem by William Blake called 'On another's sorrow', which may be sung at harvest thanksgiving. The following tunes are suggested: Buckland (LH 607), Song 13 [Canterbury] (LH 131), or Vienna (LH 420, TIS 440). It also fits very well to Robin Mann's tune for 'From the air and from the light' (ATO 316) if every two verses are sung as one verse, but in order to fit properly, a final four lines are required at the end. We have suggested a possibility if you wish to use this tune.

Can I see another's woe,

and not be in sorrow too?

Can I see another's grief,

and not seek for kind relief?

And can he who smiles on all

hear the wren with sorrow small,

hear the small bird's grief and care,

hear the woes that infants bear,

and not sit beside the nest,

pouring pity in their breast;

and not sit the cradle near,

weeping tear on infant's tear;

and not sit both night and day,

wiping all our tears away?

O no, never can it be,

never, never can it be!

He does give his joy to all;

he becomes an infant small;

he becomes a man of woe;

he does feel the sorrow too.

Do not think you sigh a sigh

and your maker is not by;

do not think you weep a tear

and your maker is not near.

O he gives to us his joy

that our grief he may destroy;

till our grief is fled and gone

he does sit by us and moan.

If using the ATO 316 tune, add these final four lines.

[He can't see another's woe,

and not be in sorrow too;

he can't see another's grief,

and not seek for kind relief.]

NOTES ON THE READINGS

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Notes on the readings', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

JOEL 2:4-27: Together with Israel's return to their own land from Babylon came hard agricultural conditions and struggle.  However, a God who could restore the land to them would not withhold the goodness of the land previously described as flowing with milk and honey. Here Joel describes in terms of wine, grain and oil the generous hand of God whom Israel will praise for his bounty.

1 TIMOTHY 2:1-7: Not only do we see our food, shelter and clothing as gifts for which we give thanks daily, but also those agencies which make for safe and peaceful living. Government and civic leaders therefore need our prayers and loyalty. Above all gifts is the mediator Jesus Christ, whose payment for sin includes all people.

MATTHEW 6: 25-33: If treasures are laid up for us in heaven (previous verses), should we not as believers trust that?  Our value in God's sight guarantees us his loving care and protection.  Food, drink and clothes, necessary as they are, do not occupy our first priority. The unbelieving world sees it that way. Christians seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. All other things will be added by God.

VISUAL

VISUALS FOR THE READINGS

Pictures or visual symbols could be displayed on banners or the overhead screen during the readings. For instance, the first reading (and the Psalm) could be illustrated by a picture of people joyfully carrying sheaves like the one in the TEV Bible for Psalm 126:5; and the gospel by a picture like the on in the TEV for Matthew 6:26.

COLOUR

The colour for Harvest Thanksgiving is green or the colour of the season, so plenty of greenery can be included in the harvest display.

SYMBOLS

The following symbols are suitable for Harvest Thanksgiving.

DECORATIONS

It is customary to decorate the church on this day with harvest produce. Especially in urban settings, it may be appropriate to include grocery items in the decorations as well.

A European style floral arrangement could be set up, using greenery, flowers and fruit and/or vegetables.

Displays could feature large stands with flowers, fruit and vegetables; or baskets with fruit and vegetables; or unusual containers to display flowers, fruit and vegetables.

DRAMA

'MEGA DRAMA'

See a drama for the day in Mega Drama resources (Openbook Publishers), originally included in these worship resources when they were released on disks.

CHILDREN

DECORATIONS

Be sure to involve the children in setting up the decorations for this day.

OFFERINGS

Involve the children in the collection and presentation of offerings. Especially, they may bring the baskets of food and/or the bread and wine for holy communion to the altar.

'COME AND SEE JESUS'

The Come and See Jesus curriculum published by Openbook Publishers has a wealth of material and ideas that may be adapted for use in worship. Please note that a new edition of this material is now available for the Revised Common Lectionary.

The story for Harvest Thanksgiving is 'Harvest firstfruits' (Deut 26:1-11) (to be found in the original edition Series B, semester 1, and in the RCL edition Series C, semester 1 for Lent 1).