SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER CREATION DAY
13 October 2013
Readings:
Key Verses (using the World English Bible):
Amos 9:15: “‘I will plant [my people Israel] on their land, and they will no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them,’ says [the Lord] your God.”
Matt. 9:37-38: Jesus said to his disciples: “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”
Reflection
I’m probably the last person who should be writing about Harvest Sunday. As one who was born and raised in New York City, I’ve never had to “sow” or “reap”, and, in the past, I admit I’ve had to consult a dictionary to remember which means which. Mustard seeds and fig trees strain my imagination, as the only mustard I’ve ever seen is Gulden’s, and the only fig tree I know of comes from some tale I once heard as a schoolboy. And what are “tares” anyway?
Many churches celebrate “Harvest Sunday”, which, due to latitude and secular observance (such as “Thanksgiving Day”), can fall anywhere between September and November in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s an opportunity for most of us in the modern age to see just how far removed we are from the Biblical world, a world which continuously alludes to planting, harvesting, seeds, fruit, etc. in order to communicate its message about God’s relationship with his people.
We see this today in the first reading from the Book of Amos. Recall from last month that this entire book is basically one long condemnation of Israel’s unfaithfulness toward God. Destruction, mourning, violence, famine, and thirst are just a few of the judgments that threaten rebellious Israel. But the book ends on a hopeful note. God himself will restore Israel, planting them on the land he gave them, never to be uprooted again. But centuries later, Jesus walks among his own people, only to find them diseased, “harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.” As the Romans have conquered Judea, Israel’s land no longer belongs to Israel. What exactly can Jesus harvest from any of this?
I believe that, more important than a literal promise of earthly territory, is the reality that God has planted himself, his Word, his Spirit within us. God has made all his people worthy to receive compassion, forgiveness, healing, restoration, and guidance. No borders can be drawn around any of these. And yet the world is still full of the same types of destruction, which Amos predicted would befall Israel. People hurt, kill, and cheat each other in the most unimaginable ways. People go to bed hopeless, hungry, thirsty, and ill when these can oftentimes be prevented.
We are all God’s children. When we accept and work towards this truth, we will never again be uprooted from God’s love—no matter where we are. Nor will we be able to uproot from others the image of God, which God himself has implanted within us. Maybe that’s when we’ll finally be able to look at each other with the same compassion, with which Jesus saw the crowds.
The harvest indeed is plentiful. May the workers no longer be few.
Prayer of the Day
Heavenly Father, Giver of all good things,
we thank you for blessing the work of our hands,
for giving our fields sun and rain
and allowing us to store our harvest in peace.
Grant that we may always enjoy our daily bread with thanksgiving,
and to trust you in all circumstances.
Guard us from arrogance when times are good;
keep us from dejection when times are tough.
Help us to use your gifts well,
to the benefit of ourselves and our neighbor,
and to the glory of your name.
Bless the seed, which you have sown in our hearts,
so that one day we may be reaped into your kingdom
by your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
—adapted from the “Special Collects for a Harvest Service” in the Danish Hymnal, 2011, p. 1338; translation by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013
Hymn: “Come, you thankful people, come”
(Words: Henry Alford, 1810-1871; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013
Tune: ‘St. George’s, Windsor’ by George Job Elvey, 1816-1893, descant by Craig Stellar Lang, 1891-1971)
Come, you thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.
All is safely gathered in
Ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker does provide
For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.
All the world is God’s own field,
To his praise its fruit to yield,
Wheat and tares together sown,
Up to joy or sorrow grown,
First the blade and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear.
Grant, O harvest Lord, that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.
For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take his harvest home;
From his field shall on that day
All offenses purge away;
Give his angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store
In his garner evermore.
Even so, Lord, quickly come
To your final harvest home.
Gather all your people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In your presence to abide.
Come, with all your angels come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.
No comments:
Post a Comment