A very warm welcome to our Harvest Service, we are very grateful to Monty and his family for allowing us to present our service in the wonderful setting of Holmes Farm. The harvest has been gathered in but as Autumn draws on, it is still a very busy time for the farm.
Thank you to the many people who have contributed to this service; we will be introducing those involved at the appropriate time. We also give thanks for the many generous contributions to the Stamford Food Bank left this weekend in the church porch.
HYMN – We Plough the Fields and Scatter.
Our Opening prayer
Lord God, as you have given to us,
Help us to be generous towards others.
May we see that resources we have
Are not wasted or squandered
But are used to your glory and the benefit of all.
Amen
Saying sorry to God
Harvest makes us aware of how much we have to enjoy, but it also makes us aware of how often we fail to take care of the world and those around us.
Lord God, sometimes we turn our eyes away and forget that there are wrong things happening in your world
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy
Lord God, sometimes we are greedy and buy more than we need, forgetting that there are people who have very little
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy
Lord God, sometimes we are careless and waste the resources in your world
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy
We are forgiven
May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image
to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
A Harvest Collect
Creator God, you make all things
And give us the earth and the seasons,
the rain, the sun and the wind;
Make us thankful people with generous hearts, Ready to share your goodness and love
With all creation;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen.
Reading
Read by Nathaniel and Hamish
Matthew Chapter 13. Vs 1 – 9 & 18 – 23
The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears[a] listen!”
…
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.[a] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
HYMN – All Things Bright and Beautiful
Young peoples’ reflection on Harvest
Joshua, Jasmine, Harriet, Finley, Hugh, Hamish and Nathaniel have recorded their thoughts about harvest and what it means for them.
The Talk
The parable of the sower presented by Sara Mann
Declaration of Faith
Do you believe and trust in God the Father,
source of all being and life,
the one for whom we exist?
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Son,
who took our human nature,
died for us and rose again?
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God
and makes Christ known in the world?
We believe and trust in him.
This is the faith of the Church.
This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Prayers and Intercessions
Our prayers this morning are lead by Maisie Smith and the Woodfield family
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
Family Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for our friends, homes and families.
We ask that your love may surround us, your care may protect us,
and that we may know your peace at all times.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Video: The Stamford Food Bank
(A talk by Louise Rose with help from Anna and Naomi)
HYMN – Give Thanks, sung by Janella Salvador
Blessing
May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source of all goodness and growth, pour his blessing upon all things created, and upon you his children that you may use them to his glory and the welfare of all peoples; and the blessing of God almighty; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen.
Afterwards:
A Makaton Blessing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va048-XxFTI&feature=youtu.be