Unexpectedly I am preaching again this Sunday as our guest speaker is unwell. You will find me at St Mary’s Church, Hemyock at 11am. Do join me as we celebrate harvest.

I recall a church service I attended when I was as student back in the 90s. It was their gift day and we were invited to dance down to the front and give as much as we could. I also remember it not feeling safe. You will recall that very little dancing was involved in our gift day last month. The verse comes from a larger passage about giving. It speaks of giving generously, but also that each person should give as they have made up their mind, ‘not reluctantly or under compulsion’. This is interesting because Paul, being a Jewish scholar would have abided quite strictly by the rule of tithing, of giving the first 10% of his income back to God via the temple or synagogue. There is no mention here of how much to give, only that we are to think through what we give and to do so cheerfully, and not begrudgingly or as if we have been coerced into doing so. What we give with a cheerful heart and as an act of worship will bless ourselves, will bless God, and will bless the wider community too. Today out thank offering, our collection, will support the amazing rural charity Farming Community Network.

Harvest is traditionally a time for giving. I love the prayer that asks God for ‘enough to live and enough to give’, a prayer written by a Hampshire farmer I know. We give thanks for the harvest, whether that be the literal growth of crops on our farms or window boxes, but also a recognition for what is received in our pay packets each month: the fruit of our labours. It is also time to consider how we will plough that back in for next season’s crops, next year’s harvest.

I am not a great gardener: I am currently aching in unexpected places from hedge trimming yesterday. The joy of a new electric toy! I don’t have much to bring to our harvest festival from my own toil. Tradition tells me I should fill a basket full of goodies to present to God this morning, despite knowing that we don’t really do that here any more. It is hard to let go of traditions, so here I am with my basket. Have I thought through my harvest giving, have I ‘made up my mind’, or have I retreated into the comforts of tradition and memories of my own childhood? How easy it is to do!

This morning I want us to consider that sense of giving joyfully, of giving that benefits not just the saints (the congregation) but the whole community. The Church of England’s Priority of Priorities is to grow younger. If I was to do an age check this morning I would be delighted to find anyone in their forties: when did 40 become young? I have been ordained over 20 years and I still get excited when I discover someone younger than me in church. If we are to ‘grow younger’ then we will need to be generous in the ways that we give: we may need to give up our favourite services, or times of worship, we may need to give of our time and energy to enable new things to happen, we may need to focus our prayers specifically on young families. This doesn’t mean that we aren’t valuable in ourselves, or that age makes us in any way ‘less’, indeed the older we get the more wisdom we garner: how can we then harvest that wisdom to bless our comunities?

This Autumn we will be holding our own mini conference, an opportunity for us to develop as disciples of Christ, for us to grow in our faith. We will also be launching home groups, an opportunity to study together outside of Sunday mornings. As we continue to grow and mature in our own faith, we look forward to a harvest to bless our community, a dividend to invest in younger generations. Can we make up our minds to do so generously, joyfully, cheerfully?

Paul ends this section of his letter, by thanking God for his indescribable gift. How often do we see our harvest offerings as something we do, something we give. Yet here, Paul shares, once again, the goodness of God in calling us to work with him, to share in the joy of seeing others come to know God’s love. Today, once again, God invites us to work together to share the love and joy of knowing and being known by God. This harvest I ask you to give as generously as you can, whether that be through a thank offering to FCN, leaving a legacy for this church, or offering your time and your prayers and your generosity of understanding and willingness to change to enable this church to grow younger.

You can read the full passage from Paul here.