Harvest Thanksgiving 2020

KINGTON PARISHES

A warm welcome to this Service today. Please note that due to current Coronavirus Regulations there will be NO congregational singing but we are delighted to be able to welcome our Soloists/ Choir who are performing for us. ………………………………………………………………...………

Welcome & Introduction

The Resolve God made this world, and us in His own image, and He pronounced it all very good. He made it beautiful and bountiful, intending us to enjoy it and manage it wisely. Yet despite God's generous provision, we have neglected and misused his creation. O Lord, we recognise our failure as guardians of this beautiful planet. We recognise our greed and carelessness, which has upset the balance of nature. Save us from further self- destruction. Stir us to adjust our lifestyles, and to work vigorously towards a healthy environment for every nation.

Let us remember the farming community in this country. We pray for those facing an uncertain future and for those who have already been forced out of the industry. We pray for those who are suffering from anxiety and depression. We pray that you will bless the work of the Rural Stress Information Network, the Farm Crisis Network and Rural Minds as they seek to bring help and hope.

Let us remember those who lack the necessities of life. O Lord, we remember with shame that although there is enough food produced in the world for everyone, millions starve. Forgive us where we have not challenged or changed the economic and political systems that produce and maintain such inequalities.

From all laziness, grumbling and discontent, From all failure to give of the best that is in us, From thinking too much of ourselves, and too little of others, Good Lord deliver us.

O Lord God, who has brought us, your servants, one more stage upon our journey, pardon our wrong doings in the past, we beseech you, and help us to do better in the days to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen ©Germinate: The Arthur Rank Centre

Collect Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season: grant that we may use them to your glory, for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

First Reading Deuteronomy 26:1-11 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’ When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the Lord your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labour on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.

Psalm 65 1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, 2 O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. 3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. 4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. 6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. 7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.

8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. 9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. 10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. 11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, 13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Second Reading: John 2:1-11 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Address

Harvest Thanksgiving In the Spring we ask for God's blessing on all growing crops. Now in Autumn, our prayers answered, we bring the finest fruits of our harvest in thankfulness to God.

1st Speaker: The seed harvest, seeds for clover, grass seeds for hay, the best of this year's corn kept to be seed for next year's crops. God brings forth grass for the cattle. And green herbs for our need.

The Offering of Seeds is brought up and placed on the altar

2nd Speaker: The harvest of vegetables, potatoes and hops. The Lord your God shall bless you in all the works of your hand. Therefore we shall surely rejoice and be thankful.

The Offering of Vegetables is brought up and placed on the altar

3rd Speaker: The harvest of fruit, apples and flowers. For these things bless Him who made you and has replenished us with His good things.

The Offering of Flowers and Fruit is brought up and placed on the altar

4th Speaker: The harvest of cornfields, the oats and wheat, rye and barley - our daily bread, yet we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

The Offering of Bread is brought up and placed on the altar

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power, and the glory and the victory and the majesty. All things come from you, O Lord, and of your own do we give you.

Let us give thanks unto the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth for evermore.

For the blessing of seed and soil, of rain and sunshine, the changing appearance of the land through every season. We bless and praise the Lord our God.

For the mist of Autumn mornings, and the keen freshness of an English day, with the smell of frost in the air. We bless and praise the Lord our God.

For the endless variety of the products of the earth in orchard and garden, field and hedgerow. We bless and praise the Lord our God.

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, eternal King. Who brings forth bread from the earth.

O Lord God Almighty, who has promised that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall not cease, we give you hearty thanks for the blessings of harvest which of your bounty we have received: and for these and all your mercies we laud and magnify your glorious name. Amen 5

Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God for the industry and perseverance, the hard work and cheerfulness of farmers and farmworkers. We bless and praise the Lord our God.

For those who have designed and built the farmers' machines, for the means of transport, and for all involved in land management and environmental care. We bless and praise the Lord our God.

For all those who by their skill and labour have helped to supply our food, and all the necessities of life. We bless and praise the Lord our God.

O God who is present in every good work undertaken in your name, we thank you for those who work hard in the countryside throughout the year, for the strength and skill of farmers and workers on the land, and for all who work to provide our food day by day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Prayers for Farming, Forestry & Fishing For farmers, foresters and fishers, their families and communities and all who depend on them ... Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayer

For farmers who struggle to make a living, especially those who are tenants, and those who have large amounts of debt to service Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayer

For those who maintain high standards of animal husbandry, but are undercut by unfair competition and have undergone great suffering over the past months, for livestock hauliers and auctioneers, for vets and agricultural advisers ... Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayer

For those who are seeking to use agro-chemicals responsibly and adopt eco- friendly practices... Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayer

For farming families under stress, for farm women, for the Women's Food and Farming Union and its work in promoting locally produced food and opportunities for diversification... Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayer 6

For support groups - Rural Stress Information Network, Farm Crisis Network and Rural Minds, and for agricultural chaplains Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayer

For foresters, balancing long term investment and short term economic return, for the development of sustainable woodland and increased use of coppicing products, for the use of trees and hedges to improve the micro climate and bio-diversity... Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayer

For fishing communities adapting to massive change, for an end to vicious rivalry within the European Community, for wisdom in implementing policies that will sustain and renew fish stocks while ensuring the viability of fishing businesses... Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayer

For restraint and fairness in the use of economic power, for discernment and a long-term view in policy and decision making, for a love of creation and a high view of human stewardship... Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayer Taken from Germinate: The Arthur Rank Centre ©2000 Jenny Carpenter

We join all of these and all our prayers as we say together the prayer which Christ himself taught us;

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessing & Dismissal Give thanks to the Lord for he is gracious: His love is everlasting.

God the Father, who created the world, give you grace to be wise stewards of his creation. Amen.

God the Son, who redeemed the world, inspire you to go out as labourers into his harvest. Amen.

God the Holy Spirit, whose breath fills the whole of creation, help you to bear his fruits of love, joy and peace. Amen.

Ar y bendith Dduw Hollalluog, Y Tad, Y Mab ar Y Ysbryd Glan and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you and all those you love this day/night, this Harvest time and for evermore. Amen.

Tend the earth, care for God’s good creation and bring forth the fruits of righteousness. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.

PLEASE TAKE THIS SERVICE SHEET AWAY WITH YOU

Harvest Festival Services

4th October : : 10.00am: Kington : 6.00pm: Old Radnor 11th October : 6.00pm: Kinnerton 18th October : 6.00pm: Titley

Some of the material used in this service is copyright and has been used with permission: The Book of Common Prayer: Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this service, is copyright ©The Archbishops’ Council 2000. Acknowledgements: Liturgy/images/text from the Arthur Rank Centre (arthurrankcentre.org.uk)’ This order of service has been produced within the terms of copyright for the use in Saint Mary’s Church, Kington.

For all enquiries please visit our website: www.kingtonparishes.org.uk or contact: Rev’d Ben Griffith: The Vicarage, Church Road, Kington, HR5 3AG on 01544 230525. Email: [email protected] or Parish Office, Parish House, normally Friday mornings on 01544 230525 or anytime via Email: [email protected].