The need to say "thank you" - A sermon for the Harvest

DEUTERONOMY 26: 1-9


When we came to North Devon, one of the first places we visited was Morwenstow. Our reason was not that we expected to find a bustling village. Rather it was because I have long been fascinated by the stories of its 19th Century vicar, Robert Stephen Hawker. An eccentric who certainly regarded Methodists as little other than a nuisance of a sect, Hawker first came to mt attention through his epic poem "Song of the Western Men" - doubtless one day to be the National anthem of Kernow.

But there was more than that to Hawker. As journeyed towards his hut although in my case due to a fear of heights not into it, we were reminded that this was the man who went to great lengths to ensure that those who perished against the rocks - sometimes as a result of the deeds of his parishioners - were granted at least the dignity of a Christian funeral.

But the greatest Christian legacy of Hawker was his being the founder fo Harvest Festivals as we know them today. For in 1843 having been nine years in rugged remote Morwenstow, he, aware of the life and death importance of the Harvest, held a service for which he invited the people of the parish to bring some produce to thank God for the Harvest. It took off and in little time a new tradition was established in which there were soon established what would become traditional hymns and scripture readings as well as decorations to represent the Harvest.

And of course there came the Harvest Supper! Now those of you who are good Methodists should block your ears for with this came a tradition of a more than abundant supply of cider to get down the throat. And joy of joys a part of early Harvest tradition was the Vicar singing ever so silly songs - all of course as means of gratitude to God. So next year as the Superintendent Minister is in Methodism the nearest thing to a Vicar whilst minions like me are best equated withhumble curates, you can look forward to my arranging a bawdy musical presentation by our Superintendent Minister, David.

But thanking God for the Harvest was not simply an invention by Hawker. Back in the Middle Ages there had been the festival of Lammas where on August 1st famers would cut a sheaf of corn with flour from these sheaves being made into a great loaf which would be processed to the parish Church where it would be offered to God as a symbol of the coming Harvest. Come the day when all was safely gathered in, the farmers would hold a party with plenty of -sorry - beer and wild festivities. Respectable the celebrations were not!

Lammas died out as people moved out away from the land to the villages and this continued demographic change is a factor in the declining role of the Harvest Festival today. And yet, we become a perverse generation if we have lost the capacity to thank God for the good things of life including the Harvest whioch sustains life. Ancient peoples of varying religious beliefs seem to have found ways of expressing this gratitude. Israel in its wilderness years learnt its dependence on God for the sustaining of life and our Scripture Reading reminds us that they did not want toi lose that sense of gratitude when they became a settled people. So to we need to be a people rooted in gratitude be it for the Harvest which is the means of life or for as one hymn from the cities puts it, the "God of Iron, God of Steel." Why? Because it is an essential part of being in touch with a generous God who is at the heart of the reeming possibilities to create and experience life with abundance. As the mystic, Meister Eckhardt once put it;

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."

Today life seems to be getting rather insecure. Naked greed has brought us a casino capitalism which today threatens the livelihood and economic and social security of so many peoples. We have failed to properly use the gifts that God has given us and so today we have a world with the means to destroy itself many times over yet not the means to adequately feed, clothe and house all its people - and whilst such deprivation is worst in some distant countries, the signs of it are also within out own land and even within a short distance of this church. And that is before we get to human contribution to global warming for which the world's poor will pay the greatest price in absolute poverty

So the grattitude with which we gather this evening is not removed from harsh realities. Appreciating that we are the beneficiaries of God's generous nature, gratitude involves us in the search that God's bounty in God's world be used in the life enhancing way that is consistent with the ways of God as revealed in Jesus. "Thank you" then becomes a sound of protest, a statement of revolution. For "thank you" has the power to change us and make us agents of change.

So this evening as we glance at token of God's bounty and sing familiar hymns, may the word "thank you" be on our lips and in our hearts for;

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."

An Iftar meal and interfaith dialogue

The Sunday before last I was one of a number of guests at a special dinner in Exeter.

The dinner was organised by the The Fellowship Dialogue Society. Our hosts seemed to be Muslims from a Turkish background and the guests included Christians, Jews and people active in civic life. The meal itself was a Iftar Meal being served at the end of a fast day in Ramadan.

The food itself was excellent. But more important was the conversations that took place over the meals and the vision of our hosts which was explained in short speeches. It can be understood in terms of the group's mission statement;

Fellowship Dialogue Society (FDS) is a non-profit, multi-cultural, faith based organization, whose purposes are spiritual and peaceful. It is the mission of FDS to serve societal peace, love, and friendship by striving to bring forth the common values of humanity; values such as tolerance, respect, and compassion.


FDS acknowledges the importance of spreading these most significant values within the UK's diverse communities, hoping for all to take them on as a common virtue. In order to build a better future, FDS will work hand in hand with other communities and groups that recognize the same mission and uphold the same values.

We are dedicated to finding and celebrating the common ties that bind us as brothers and sisters and to fostering understanding, tolerance, respect, and love towards our fellow human beings by sharing cultures and spiritual traditions of the world's sacred religions.


Our principles can be summarized as follows:

- Constant, positive action that leaves no room for confusion, fighting, and anarchy.
- No affiliation with any political entity or government agency, domestic or international.
- Reject favors from any organization or group, that may expect a favor in return.

I felt that a strong emphasis on the part of our hosts was that dialogue needs to begin from a basis of getting to know one another and looking for things that we have in common. This is a view that I share. Learning to be friends surely acts as a block against misunderstanding or prejudice. It is only when we have built that basis that we can honestly talk about the things concerning which we have very real differences.

More and more people of different faiths need to get to know each other and to listen to each others stories. Through such interraction we have a chance of moving to a situation in which faith brings people into closer realtionships rather than tearing them further and further apart. For me a delightful scene at the dinner was seeing a Jew and Muslim caught up in amicable discussion.

Those guests who addressed the gathering at the end found the evening worthwhile. I for one will be eager to attend futher gatherings that seek to promote fellowship and dialogue. After all did not Jesus engage in fellowship and dialogue with those whose religious understanding differed from his.

Anyhow I finish with the words of the Turkish Sufi poet, Yunus Emre who observed;

We have not come for dissension. Our purpose is love. The heart is the home of intimate friends. We have come to win over hearts."

My that be the spirit of our dialogue!

Sorrow

I have not been able to post for the past few days as I have been in Cornwall with my father for his last days. We went down on Tuesday morning and other than a brief return for an hour or so on Wednesday, I was there until his death last night.

Dad whose name was Morley Martin, had suffered the cruelties of Parkinsons for some years. It cruelly devastated his body and mind. Certainly it is a disease that is cruel to many of its victims. He was fortunate in that he was well cared for by my sister and her family in recent years.

I am not going to write about Dad's life here. It will be remembered at his funeral/thanksgiving service at the end of the coming week. To the wider world he was an ordinary guy who worked as a carpenter and later as a funeral director. But to me he was my dad and a man who tried his best in life.

The other things I was going to post about will have to wait their time. Today, I just wish my father to rest in peace and to rise in glory!

Jack Straw still peddling the same old nonsense again and again!

So Justice Secretary Jack Straw wishes offenders doing community service to wear high visibility jackets.

Strangely this pathetic initiative based on shaming is not new. In fact it goes back to 1998 when the Independent reported;

OFFENDERS ORDERED to work in the community will have to wear a special uniform, Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, has decided, in a move to show that he is tough on even relatively minor criminals.

Talk of rebranding! A sure sign of a pathetic politician who should have been put out to grass long ago!

Gordon Brown and property prices

"I will not allow house prices to get out of control and put at risk the sustainability of the recovery."

Yes Gordon Brown wa quite right to say those words in the 1997 Budget. If only he'd remembered them! If only

Staying in Bideford

Some time ago I mentioned that I was facing the reinvitation process. Since then a consultation has taken place. This evening the Bideford Methodist Circuit Meeting voted unanimously to approve a two year extension to my ministry in the circuit.

I am very pleased at this outcome. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues where I feel we have a constructive diversity as well as continuing to work with all the people of the circuit.

It means much to me as it did some years ago when I was given an extension as a layworker in the Ramsey Circuit on the Isle of Man. In part the reason for this pleasure is that I struggle with low self esteem and a vote like tonight suggests that I am doing something right. It also reminds me of how far my life has come from 1990 when my life was in free fall and I seemed to fail at everything I touch, a situation which so damaged me that I took a frightful step that could have cost me my life. So you see, being affirmed means so much to me.

Tomorrow I am unlikely to blog. I shall be going down to Truro to see my father who is very ill with Parkinsons disease. In the evening I shall be attending a pantomime practice in Northam. We are performing "Babes in the Wood" in which I am "Nurse" which is the "Dame role." Worryingly the script suggests that I shall be doing a striptease which will probably separate many in the audience from their food.

Over the weekend I will be involved with two weddings (a rare event for me), leading one service on Sunday before attending an interfaith event which I shall be posting on either that evening or Monday. Anyhow it is time for bed.

Update

This blog has been quiet. The reasons are a combination of busyness, my depression, family sickness and computer problems. Well the computer which has now died is being replaced tomorrow and so hopefully this blog will begin to rumble once more.

Ballad of Sarah Palin

Enjoy! After all if you don't laugh you're gonna cry!