Today is our Harvest Festival, when we celebrate the bounty of the earth and this past year’s successful harvest. Each year, St Peter’s Church chooses a charity for our Harvest Appeal, and this year it’s the Sheringham and Cromer Food Bank. Across Britain, the need for food banks has gone up hugely and this area of North Norfolk is no exception. We need donations of food, which can be placed into the boxes available at the front of the church, but, in addition, this year we are also appealing for generous financial donations that will be used for people’s rising fuel bills. Here in Sheringham, we know what it feels like when the north wind blows! The reality is that too many people live in houses that are poorly insulated and now, some people cannot afford to pay for fuel. So, please give generously. Thank you!
The Old Testament reading for today is from Deuteronomy and it holds some rather interesting advice. The Israelites had been instructed by God, through Moses, about how to behave in many specific situations. Harvest was also a time when they were instructed to do certain specific things, such as take a portion of the first and best of their crops and go into the temple to worship and give thanks to God. After giving thanks, the people were told to go out and celebrate with everyone in their community. Basically, they were told to throw a party – with everyone invited! The interesting thing is that the instructions specifically mention the ‘foreigners’ and ‘aliens’ among them – they were all to be included in the feast.
Even thousands of years ago, God’s people were being reminded to share what they had with those who might not have enough, especially those who would not have been able to own their own fields or had their own fruit trees. It is sobering to realise that we still need reminding to welcome and include those in our communities who do not have enough. Much will have changed from the times in which Deuteronomy was written, but we can be sure of one thing, that God still has a heart of compassion for people who struggle to survive, much less thrive.
When Jesus was on earth, he made a point that he had come that we might have life and have it abundantly. Abundance. What a beautiful, rich and joyful word. God wants us to have an abundant life, not only with the physical necessities of life but also spiritually. The reading from the Gospel of John is about Jesus telling the people who had followed him that, as important as it is to have enough bread to eat, there was another kind of bread that gives life to the world. When the people asked him to give them this type of bread, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
In our generosity to others, we might do well to think about just what it is we are giving them. People need food, but they also need to be told that they are included in the transforming, liberating, saving, never-ending love of God, shown to us in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. As we donate food to the food bank and give money towards people’ fuel costs, let us also remember that every day, not just at harvest time, we can let them know about the One who is the Bread of Life.
The Rev’d Christina Rees