CCL 125049 Charity No SC002937
Contents
- Welcome
- Hymn 229 We plough the fields and scatter Tune Wir Pflugen (Church Hymnary 4th Edition)
- Prayer
- Reading Matthew 22: 1-10 (Good News Bible)
- Hymn 137 All things bright and beautiful Tune All things bright and beautiful (Church Hymnary 4th Edition)
- Story from Christian Aid
- Song: Sent by the Lord
- Story from Dumbarton
- Prayer for others
- Hymn 233 Come you thankful people come Tune St George’s Windsor (Church Hymnary 4th Edition)
- Blessing
Watch our service on YouTube
Welcome
Welcome and let us worship God
‘The earth has yielded its harvest. May God, our God, bless us.’
Psalm 67: 6
Hymn 229 We plough the fields and scatter
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
At Harvest time we come to say ‘Thank you’
for the food we eat
the beauty of the world
the cycle of the seasons
If we think about it, we also say ‘Thank you’
for things like fresh water
all the people involved in bringing food to our table
maybe even shelter from the cold and rain
But we don’t always think about things like
fresh unpolluted air
sources of energy, minerals and chemicals
the many skills and abilities that we have
jobs that we have or had
regularity of income
availability of benefits, pensions and charitable help
bin collections and street cleaning
the whole sanitary system
Sometimes it is only when we see pictures of other places
or we experience life there for ourselves
that we realise how much we take for granted
We take you for granted too
we forget that you are there
we don’t pay attention to your teaching or example
we don’t give you the praise and thanks that you deserve
When we stop to think about it
we are ashamed and sorry
Forgive us
Open our eyes to see the world around us
the good things we have
our dependence on so many people –
and those in need
Open our hearts and lives
to bring you the praise and honour you are due
to live lives appropriate to those
whom you have called to be your children
Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen
Bible reading Matthew 22: 1-10
Jesus again used parables in talking to the people. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like this. Once there was a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to tell the invited guests to come to the feast, but they did not want to come. So he sent other servants with this message for the guests: ‘My feast is ready now; my bullocks and prize calves have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!’ But the invited guests paid no attention and went about their business: one went to his farm, another to his shop, while others grabbed the servants, beat them and killed them. The king was very angry; so he sent his soldiers, who killed those murderers and burnt own their city. Then he called his servants and said to them, ‘My wedding feast is ready, but the people I invited did not deserve it. Now go to the main streets and invite to the feast as many people as you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad alike; and the wedding hall was filled with people.
Hymn 137 All things bright and beautiful
Story from Christian Aid
On an October day like this, how many appreciate a warm drink to cheer you up? What do you prefer – tea, coffee, hot chocolate?
Coffee drinkers: do you go for the cheapest instant in the shop, or are you a connoisseur who insists on ground coffee in the cafetiere or percolator? Do you ask for a latte, a cappuccino, an Americano? Have you a preference where the coffee beans come from?
This is Angela. She is a coffee farmer in Nicaragua, the second poorest country in Latin America. She and farmers like her are finding their harvests are failing due to irregular rainfall patterns and prolonged drought. She has watched her coffee crop fail, her livelihood devastated, because of a changing climate.
Angela’s community have been supported by Christian Aid’s partner Soppexcca to grow cocoa instead of coffee. And cocoa is used for making chocolate! It’s a source of joy for many of us. And a source of joy for Angela’s community too, since cocoa is much less vulnerable to the changing climate in Nicaragua and is a more reliable crop.
Song: Sent by the Lord
Story from Dumbarton
Food for Thought and West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare have both been extremely busy throughout this time with numbers of people they were supporting increasing by 50% or more. As well as supporting people in poverty, they also supported elderly people and people self-isolating.
West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare commented that prior to lockdown many of their volunteers were elderly; therefore, the number of volunteers reduced from around 100 to only 2. They worked with 4 staff and 2 volunteers throughout this time to serve the most vulnerable.
Prayers for others
Heavenly Father
As we celebrate Harvest
and give thanks for the food we eat
we remember the many people
who do not have ready access to food
who worry about where the next meal will come from
who can only afford food of low nutritional value
some are in countries abroad
exposed to extreme or unreliable weather
exhausted soil, pests or blight
some have had to flee from their homes
seeking safety from war or violence
some live in considerable poverty
some live in our own country and community
and have to turn regularly to foodbanks for assistance
we pray that governments will take appropriate steps
to ensure that no one need go hungry
that all will be confident about where their next meal will come from
and that eating is something that can be done with dignity
We pray for groups like the foodbanks
that provide emergency help
and for groups like Christian Aid
who work for long-term sustainable solutions
Help us to do what we can to help others to eat
We pray too for all who are engaged in the process
of bringing food to our table
farmers, fishermen, growers
transport and retail staff
We pray for all who are ill,
those who look after them
and those who worry about them
those waiting for or receiving treatment
and those for whom there is no treatment
those who are lonely, feeling down, or grieving a friend or loved one
those who are worried about home, work or money
a friend or a relative
those who are living with the after-effects of natural disasters
those who do not have enough to eat, or somewhere to call home
those who long to live in peace and safety
those who have fled from their homes seeking safety
We pray for the Queen, the Government
all in positions of leadership in this and every land
We pray for your church
our own congregation
the wider church in Dumbarton
the world-wide church
We bring to you our prayers for people and situations of special concern to us
And we sum up our prayers in the words of the prayer Jesus gave 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.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen
Hymn 233 Come you thankful people come
Blessing
God the Father sends you out
to be his witnesses wherever you go
to work to bring healing and wholeness in all you do
and the blessing of God Almighty
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
rest and remain with you, today, and every day, and for ever. Amen