In the name of our Generous God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen.
I wonder if there are any of us who don’t worry about what we will eat? Hands up if you never think about food!
And who doesn’t worry about what you will wear? Hands up if you never think about clothes!
I’m guessing we all think about food and clothes a lot.
At school in the middle of a lesson (especially if it’s very boring) it’s almost impossible not to start dreaming of a snack at break time, or what yummy things there’ll be to eat at lunch.
At church, everyone is always completely focussed on the sermon so I’m sure you never start thinking about the snacks to come after the service or Sunday lunch when you get home!!!
And as for clothes – well, I’ve not had time for ages to go shopping in the sales or to look at the lovely new autumn designs and I really want to!
So it’s not as easy as all that to follow Jesus’ advice in our Gospel reading today – is it?
‘Do not worry about your body, what you will eat and what you will wear.’
Jesus gives us two examples of God’s amazing care for creation in the reading today – ravens and wildflowers.
Not of course just ravens, but all birds of the air from the tiniest little brown sparrow to the hugest, majestic eagle.
The flowers that grow – in most of our Bibles it talks about lilies of the field, but most likely Jesus was referring not to lilies as we know them, but the sorts of wildflowers around Galilee.
And Jesus tells us – if God so cares for these simple but amazing creatures and plants – then how much more will God care for us, who are made in God’s own image!
Just look at yourself today in the mirror and see yourself through God’s eyes – as someone made in God’s image, look at how beautiful you are, how wonderful those around you are – all special, precious, unique, chosen, beloved.
And look how much God loves us that we are given such an amazing gift – the gift of the earth and all that is in it, and the gift of our own life with all its possibility.
We’ve been thinking about the wonder of creation and the beauty of the earth over these last few weeks and how we can respond to that by giving something back to God in return in our Stewardship Review and how we can care better for the earth in all its beauty and yet fragility too.
Giving is hard if we don’t think we have enough. But our readings today tell us that God always will give us all we need, and more.
So we don’t need to worry – we don’t need to grab our share or hoard things like the rich man in the reading who built larger barns to store all his goods that he kept for himself alone. After all, as he found out – we can’t take it with us!
The only treasure its worth striving for is God – because God gives us everything that we could ever wish for.
And we can be generous and share what we have because God has given us SO much. And we need to say thank you to God and give generously ourselves. That’s what Harvest Thanksgiving is all about.
All around us we see so many good gifts of Harvest time – food, fruit, flowers, but can we really believe that there is enough for everyone?
Today we have brought many harvest gifts to share with those who need help from the foodbank – and the miracle of giving is that we find that when we share what we have with one another we discover that there is enough to go around – and there is always more in God’s provision for us. So today we say thank you to God, and we ask for grace to trust more in God’s care for us all, so that we can share more fully, all the good gifts of the earth.
Thank you, Lord, for the Harvest.
Thank you for your goodness,
for all the fruit and vegetables
and the wonderful things that grow.
For the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and every green and growing plant;
for all that is life,
and for your love to us.
Amen.
Service: Reverend Michelle Dalliston. 1st October 2023. (St John The Baptist Church Peterborough UK)
Readings: Luke 12:22-34