Harvest Festival Stiffkey 07-10-01
Hunworth/Bale 14-10-01
Take my words, Father and use them to give us a deeper appreciation of the Harvest in which you have such a great interest. Amen
Harvest Festival is a time when we give thanks to God for his goodness to us. And it is right to thank him for the Harvest.
Despite the recent problems of the farming community – the floods in last Spring followed by the foot and mouth - and swine fever a year ago, I believe it is still right to do this.
Yes, there is much to give thanks to God for.
The Harvest Festival Service stands in a long tradition for God’s people. It goes back a good 4,000 years.
In our Old Testament lesson, we read of the three important Jewish festivals. Festivals where there was a three-line whip for all to attend.
1. The first festival was the Feast of Passover. It was usually held in April each year – at the beginning of the harvest and reminded them of their escape from Egypt under Moses.
2. The second festival was the Feast of Weeks or Harvest, where the Jews gave thanks to God for their crop. This festival occurred at the end of the barley harvest.
3. And the third festival was the Feast of Tabernacles, which occurred after the grape and grain harvest was over.
All three of these festivals reminded them of God’s blessing on his.
It is in the tradition of that second feast – the Feast of Harvest or Pentecost that we stand this evening.
In our New Testament reading, Jesus put a new slant on the meaning of harvest.
2. Harvest of Souls
It was usual for all 1st century Jew to go annually to these the Festivals. And Jesus would have been no exception.
Yet Jesus took the concept of harvest to a higher plane in our New Testament reading.
The background to the story in John 4 is this:
Jesus came to a village in Samaria called Sychar. He met a woman- who was a social outcast - at the well there
He struck up a conversation with her despite the fact that it wasn’t the done thing. He then surprised her by telling her life’s story – even though this was the first time they had ever met.
She was astounded and rushed back to the village to tell the other villagers that she believed she had found the Messiah.
As she went off into town, the disciples returned with supplies and urged Jesus to eat.
But Jesus’ attention was elsewhere. And he used this opportunity to encourage them to see beyond the “here and now”. To look for something on a higher plane.
He said in John 4:34
34"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
And he went on to tell them that the time was now ripe for a harvest of souls.
As he spoke these words - the Samaritans led by the returning woman – came towards him through the fields. And as he looked at them - he said to the disciples:
“Look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest”
The time has come - Jesus is saying - to reap a spiritual harvest. We need to go out and tell people about the Kingdom of God.
So what is this spiritual harvest that Jesus is talking about. I believe that it is an ingathering of people into the kingdom of God.
There are - as I see it - three keys to success in the spiritual harvest.
They are keys that parallel a successful earthly harvest.
These keys are: The Seed, the Season and the Servants.
(My thanks to Pastor Stanley Vasu for the three "S"’s).
1.SEED (Jn 4:42)
I think the seed of the Spiritual harvest in John 4 was the recognition - by the Samaritans that Jesus was the Saviour of the world.
We read in John 4:42 that the Samaritans said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world."
Why was it necessary for Jesus to be the Saviour of the world, you might ask?
1. Man has a problem in relation to God, his wrongdoing – we call that sin. It separates him from God.
2. And the result of sin is death – that is eternal separation from God.
Man therefore needs someone to put that relationship right. He needs a Saviour – someone who could take the penalty for our sins and bring us back to God
3. God loves us so much that he wants us to come back into a relationship with him.
4. And so he sent Jesus to this earth to die in our place. It is through faith in Christ that we can come back to God.
St. John put it in a nutshell when he said
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
In Jesus day, the idea of believing in a teacher – in both the Greek and Jewish world meant more than simply assenting to the ideas of his teaching. It meant following that teacher – often literally - in his whole lifestyle.
That’s what John means by belief. It explains why Peter - preaching on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 - tells the crowds that they have to repent from their sin –if they want to accept Jesus as their Saviour.
And 3,000 people became Christians that day – I wish I could preach like that!!!!
This is the message that is the seed that we have to
sow - if we want to take part in the spiritual harvest.
2. SEASON John 4:35
The second key to a success in the spiritual harvest is getting the season right. In John 4:35, Jesus said:
35Do you not say, `Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
Don’t procrastinate – the time for harvest is NOW.
Harvesting can only be done at the right time that is to say during the harvest season.
Jesus is saying that the spiritual harvest season is now.
3. SERVANTS
The third key to a success in the spiritual harvest is finding servants who will reap.
Jesus has given us - the Church - work to do.
He said in Jn 4:38
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
In Jesus’ day it was all hands to the pumps during harvest. They didn’t have the luxury of combine harvesters. Harvesting was extremely labour intensive.
What Jesus is saying is that, in the kingdom of God, the time has come for every believer to be
active - reaping in the harvest.
Story: I used to be Head of the Group Patent Department at Reckitt and Colman. When I left to follow God’s call to become a clergyman, someone asked me why I was giving it all up -to go into the church.
I replied told him that the last patent I ever wrote would have expired within 20 years of my retirement. And what have I to show for my life. Nothing but an excellent pension.
However, if only one person came to Jesus during my ministry – that was something of eternal value.
For those of us who have a living relationship with Jesus, God can use our story to plant a seed in someone else’s heart.
Story: I was in my office one day at Reckitts with two scientists talking about patenting one of their inventions. Out of the blue, they asked me how I came back to the UK from Switzerland.
I told them the story of meeting Harold Fox, a Texan prophet, at a Christian Conference on a Saturday in May 1994. I asked him what he did for a living; he said he was a prophet.
Without thinking I said: “Have you got a word from God for me then”. He said, “Yes, you won’t be in this country (meaning Switzerland) much longer.”
I thought he was out to lunch – we had two houses, a swimming pool and a secure job – why would I want to go.
The following Wednesday I got a phone call from a headhunter. I was about to say no thanks when I remembered the prophecy and agreed to be interviewed.
Eventually Reckitts offered me the job, which I felt was right to accept in July 1994 and came to Reckitts in October 1994.
Well, they thought I was “out to lunch”, but because I was a senior manager – didn’t tell me so.
However, they discussed the crazy things I’d said that evening in the car home with Rachel, who just happened to be one of the members of our Reckitts Bible Study group.
She was able to build on what I had said and one of them eventually became a Christian.
God can use each seemingly insignificant seed that we sow.
4. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, as we give thanks for the harvest, let us not limit our thanks to God for an earthly harvest.
Let us remember that God has called the Church to reap a Spiritual Harvest– the harvest of souls.
We do have a powerful message that can make the difference.
Story: In the 1960’s, Communism in Cuba was touted as paradise for the masses. The new state would meet their needs and religion would be seen for what it is - “the opium of the masses”
But when Pope John Paul II visited Cuba in the 1990’s -people came out in thousands to hear him. They had a spiritual hunger and thousands turned to Christ
People in Cuba began to return to the churches.
And not just to the Catholic Church, but also to the Baptist, Methodist and the Pentecostal churches.
In one short week, the Pope had had more impact with the Gospel than Fidel Castro had had in 30 years of communism.
When things look bleak – as the did for the Cuban churches in the 1990’s - and a man of God comes with the Gospel of Jesus- things happen.
The story of Jesus in our lives is powerful. God can use it to plant a seed in the hearts of others.
As we pray and are open to opportunities for sharing our Christian story with others – we will find ourselves really making a difference in our community.
