Harvest John 10v10

Whether we live close to the land and grow our own crops or live at a 

distance, we all depend on food from farms across the world. Harvests 

however are changing. 

The passage in John 10:10 is a popular and often quoted verse. And the word 

abundant meaning lots of, reminds us at harvest time that we hope for 

abundant yields so that all may have enough to feed ourselves. 

Christian Aid have a strapline ‘we believe in life before death’. 

These words of Jesus are spoken as part of a conversation between Jesus 

and the Pharisees. Pharisses were nitpickers. Log not splinter guys! In

chapter 9 Jesus had healed a man who was born blind on the Sabbath. That

would’ve been the Saturday then. This healing challenged two laws and 

resulted in the healed man being driven out. 

By his actions and by his words, Jesus demonstrates how abundant life is 

available through him here and now and is particularly available to those on 

the edge, the marginalised and excluded. Hard words for those of us who are 

well off to hear. 

For Frank Zulu of Chithumbwi village, Malawi, abundant life is in part denied 

because the rain is no longer reliable: ‘Sometimes it rains heavily and washes 

seeds away and then it suddenly stops; sometimes it rains very late so our

seeds die in the ground; sometimes it doesn’t rain 

at all.’ (grape crop in England this year). 

The consequences for the maize

harvest, and the communities, is devastating. Frank says: ‘In Malawi, when 

we say somebody is hungry, we mean they don’t have maize. When the 

maize is not in harvest or there are shortages, people starve.’

With support from Christian Aid, Frank has diversified his crops to include 

sweet potatoes and pigeon peas, which are better able to survive low rainfalls. 

However, even with a successful harvest of pigeon peas, the poor market 

prices for individual farmers prevent Frank and his family from getting a good 

price for his crops and they are thereby denied food and also abundant life 

that Jesus is talking about. 

Jesus does go on to say he is the good shepherd, and the gate to the field 

where the sheep are (kissing gates). Not a gate many of us experience every 

day. 

 

This sheepfold gate is protection from thieves, bandits and corrupt shepherds. 

And it is a portal for good shepherds to enter and to lead the sheep to good 

grass, to water and to what they need to grow healthily. 

In our world ‘gate’ is a word often associated with bad things, Watergate. In 

Africa they talk of cashgate, tractor gate, maize-gate, and all other gates that 

may have happened or are happening behind the public eye. 

Often corruption happens at the farm gate where they are selling their goods. 

The middlemen use illegal scales and exploit farmers. This tactics drives 

prices down. 

For Frank, this is a disaster: ‘Even though I am growing more pigeon peas 

than ever, my life is miserable because of the low prices offered by the

traders. The money is not enough to feed my family or pay school fees for my 

four children. 

“The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy”. How then can we help Frank and 

people like him? 

The sheepfold was a place where farmers gathered their sheep for safe 

keeping as a cooperative, the farmers in Africa have come together in 

cooperatives. Working as a group, they can negotiate with professional

buyers to get better prices for their crops. 

Abundant in Greek is perissos , which means ‘superior, extraordinary life. We 

have got used to a narrative of scarcity. “Theres just not enough to go around”

. But Jesus teaches us to work towards a narrative of abundance so we do 

have enough to share for everyone. 

In the story of the sower we are shown we should sow the good seed 

everywhere even in places you wouldn’t expect growth. Our job is just to sow. 

To get a harvest we have to sow seed, and the seed we sow is different to the 

worlds seed. We have to be different-stand out from the crowd in our 

relationships, in our attitude, to others, the earth, to animals, to old people to 

teenagers, to little children, to people it is difficult to love. (Syrian terrorist) 

We have to listen to what God wants. 

We have all sown the gospel. Some of it has produced good growth/good 

harvest like my crop of main potatoes this year. Some has produced bad fruit. 

What have we sown and harvested this year? The Spirit of God encourages 

us to go places we don’t want to go- the rocky soil. But we have a heavenly 

mandate, a vision. We are not tied down by ordinary human prejudices or the 

behaviour of people around us. We are called to sow and harvest good news, 

love, peace, justice even though this is no easy task. 

What are we harvesting as a world? What are we harvesting as a society? 

What are we harvesting as individuals? 

Harvest Mark 4v1-9

Old Testament law required that strangers, widows and orphans should be cared for, and including them in harvest celebrations must have been an important sign for them of how much they were cherished in the community. Harvest has never been an individual celebration. It has been fundamental to people for generations, to communities, to futures. In Deuteronomy the writer describes the whole community coming together to celebrate. Slaves took their place alongside landowners. Everyone was invited to the party because everyone had reason to give thanks for the harvest just as in more rural times in Britain. None of them would go hungry through the coming year.  

For many people, harvest services are a throw-back to the past when they marked a definite point in the year in the cycle of food production. We have become blasé about food. We can buy tomatoes and bananas all year from Tescos. After all, there is not much now about our food or indeed our lifestyle that is seasonal. So-called seasonal vegetables and plants are with us all year round. We no longer get up with the light and go to bed when it gets dark. We can work and play, go shopping and enjoy ourselves more or less any time we want, all year round. Some celebrations begin long before it seems appropriate: even now shops are already beginning to stock Christmas items. But while we may have lost sight of natural endings and natural beginnings harvest can still be a time for shared celebration and for us to remember that we do have a harvest both of growing things and our lives. 

In my garden this year like last, I have planted many vegetables. Some like the garlic have been a great success. Some like the onions have been a failure. So it is with all harvests. We thank God for what is good and reflect during winter months of dwindling light and frosty mornings of our hopes for the spring and what we will sow in the New Year.

So perhaps harvest is a good time to take stock and give thanks, and to recognise that we cannot celebrate in isolation from our neighbours around the world. As we remember the harvest this year, let's remember too  our offering could make all the difference to some of the world's poorest countries and as we know from the prophet Amos, God judges us by the way we treat the poor.

To Harvest you have to sow seeds and so to the parable of The Sower.

When the poor Palestinian farmer went out to sow his seed, he did so in a kind of mindless fashion, chucking it into small corners of rocks and crevices, in poor soil, amongst weeds and finally some was thrown on good soil. Indeed it would seem he did so not heeding the consequences of his actions. He went out to sow seed, in the field, on the paths, on rocks among thorns whether birds were present or not. The implication seems to be that we should also be sowing the gospel, the good seed everywhere we not just where we would expect it to grow, certainly not just in church buildings or church meetings but in the pub, the club, at the school gate, in the office, at the Blues or Villa. Its not our problem to worry about the yield. Our job is just to sow. Like the mustard seed large plants can grow from small beginnings.

What is the word of God? It is Good news, the message of salvation, peace, healing.

How do we sow the seed?

We have to be different, to stand out from the crowd in our relationships, in our attitude, to others, the earth, animals, to old people to teenagers, to little children, to people it is difficult to love.

We have to listen to what God wants. 

We have all sown seeds in our lives. Some of it has produced good growth/good harvest. Some has produced bad fruit. What have we sown and harvested this year? The Spirit of God encourages us to go places we don’t want to go- the rocky soil. But we have a heavenly mandate, a vision. We are not tied down by ordinary human prejudices or the behaviour of people around us. We are called to sow and harvest good news, love, peace, justice even though this is not an easy task. 

What are we harvesting this year in our lives?

What are we harvesting in our church? 

Mark 4 v3-9, Harvest, The Sower

Harvest 

For many people, harvest services are a throw-back to the past when they marked a definite point in the year in the cycle of food production. We have become blasé about food. We can buy tomatoes and bananas all year from Tescos. After all, there is not much now about our food or indeed our lifestyle that is seasonal. So-called seasonal vegetables and plants are with us all year round. We no longer get up with the light and go to bed when it gets dark. We can work and play, go shopping and enjoy ourselves more or less any time we want, all year round. Some celebrations begin long before it seems appropriate: even now shops are already beginning to stock Christmas items. But while we may have lost sight of natural endings and natural beginnings harvest can still be a time for shared celebration and for us to remember that we do have a harvest both of growing things and our lives.

In the Old Testament

Old Testament law required that strangers, widows and orphans should be cared for, and including them in harvest celebrations. It was an important sign for them of how much they were cherished in the community. Harvest has never been an individual celebration. It has been fundamental to people for generations, to communities, to futures. In Deuteronomy the writer describes the whole community coming together to celebrate. Slaves took their place alongside landowners. Everyone was invited to the party because everyone had reason to give thanks for the harvest just as in more rural times in Britain. None of them would go hungry through the coming year. 

So perhaps harvest is a good time to take stock and give thanks, and to recognise that we cannot celebrate in isolation from our neighbours around the world. Our lives could make all the difference to some of the world’s poorest countries and as we know from the prophet Amos, God judges us by the way we treat the poor.

Some, inspired by Greenbelt Angels try to embrace LOAF principles, Local, Organic, Animal Friendly, Fairly Traded. In Brierley Hill the churches had a stall in the Farmers Market selling LOAF products. In my allotment this year, I have planted many vegetables. Its not been been a particularly good year. Some like the potatoes, garlic and apples have been a  success. Some like the carrots and parsnips, brassicas have been a failure. So it is with all harvests. We thank God for what is good and reflect during winter months of dwindling light and frosty mornings of our hopes for the spring and what we will sow in the New Year.

The Sower

The story of the Sower draws on two Old Testament begins with Jesus telling us to listen

There are two background themes;

1. The Shema (Dt 6.5) where 3 types of soil represent our struggle to love God
2. The idea that Gods word goes into the world and always produces fruit. (Is 55v10)

Each hostile soil represents our resistance to the gospel.

Where the seed fails to take root, the discipleship is temporary.

The obstacles to the seed growing are;

1. Satan, the accuser, who subverts  
2. Tribulation and persecution which causes us to fall away
3. Worries and wealth,

The good soil yields phenomenal return.

In Palestinian farming they sowed and then ploughed the seed in.

The tenant farmer normally experience poor yields on poor soil and was in a constant state of servitude, dependent on the landowner. So the description of the success would be exceptional and mean he not only had money left over to pay off his debts but would be able to buy the land which was a challenge to the economic context.

How the Sower sows is the main point of story!!!!

When the poor Palestinian farmer went out to sow his seed, he did so in a kind of mindless fashion, chucking it into small corners of rocks and crevices, in poor soil, amongst weeds and finally some was thrown on good soil. Indeed it would seem he did so not heeding the consequences of his actions. He went out to sow seed, in the field, on the paths, on rocks among thorns whether birds were present or not. The implication seems to be that we should also be sowing the gospel, the good seed everywhere, not just where we would expect it to grow, certainly not just in church buildings or church meetings but in the pub, the club, at the school gate, in the office, at the football match. It’s not our problem to worry about the yield. Our job is just to sow. Like the mustard seed large plants can grow from small beginnings. And then we leave it to God, who has the last word. But we must leave it to grow.

What have we sown and harvested this year in our lives? The Spirit of God encourages us to go places we don’t want to go- the rocky soil. We are called to sow and harvest good news, love, peace, justice even though this is no easy task. 

So what harvest are we gathering? What are we harvesting as a world, as a society, as a church, as individuals?

Harvest-The Sower

Old Testament law required that strangers, widows and orphans should be cared for, and including them in harvest celebrations. It was an important sign for them of how much they were cherished in the community. Harvest has never been an individual celebration. It has been fundamental to people for generations, to communities, to futures. In Deuteronomy the writer describes the whole community coming together to celebrate. Slaves took their place alongside landowners. Everyone was invited to the party because everyone had reason to give thanks for the harvest just as in more rural times in Britain. None of them would go hungry through the coming year. 

For many people, harvest services are a throw-back to the past when they marked a definite point in the year in the cycle of food production. We have become blasé about food. We can buy tomatoes and bananas all year from Tescos. After all, there is not much now about our food or indeed our lifestyle that is seasonal. So-called seasonal vegetables and plants are with us all year round. We no longer get up with the light and go to bed when it gets dark. We can work and play, go shopping and enjoy ourselves more or less any time we want, all year round. Some celebrations begin long before it seems appropriate: even now shops are already beginning to stock Christmas items. But while we may have lost sight of natural endings and natural beginnings harvest can still be a time for shared celebration and for us to remember that we do have a harvest both of growing things and our lives.

Some of us inspired by Greenbelt Angels try to embrace  LOAF principles, Local, Organic, Animal Friendly, Fairly Traded. In my last job the churches had a stall in the Farmers Market selling LOAF products. In my garden this year like last, I have planted many vegetables. Its been a very bad year ! Some like the potatoes, onions and raspberries despite the rain have been a great success. Some like the carrots and parsnips, brassicas have been a failure. So it is with all harvests. We thank God for what is good and reflect during winter months of dwindling light and frosty mornings of our hopes for the spring and what we will sow in the New Year.

So perhaps harvest is a good time to take stock and give thanks, and to recognise that we cannot celebrate in isolation from our neighbours around the world and people in Mali. As we remember the harvest this year, let’s remember too our offering could make all the difference to some of the world’s poorest countries and as we know from the prophet Amos, God judges us by the way we treat the poor.

To harvest you have to sow seeds and so to the Sower. Who is the Sower? Is it God, Jesus, or us or a mixture of all 3? The Seed-this traditionally is seen as the Word of God or the good news. The thorns-again this along with the birds are seen as the cares of the world. The plants are God's world. How the Sower sows is the main point of story!!!!

When the poor Palestinian farmer went out to sow his seed, he did so in a kind of mindless fashion, chucking it into small corners of rocks and crevices, in poor soil, amongst weeds and finally some was thrown on good soil. Indeed it would seem he did so not heeding the consequences of his actions. He went out to sow seed, in the field, on the paths, on rocks among thorns whether birds were present or not. The implication seems to be that we should also be sowing the gospel, the good seed everywhere we not just where we would expect it to grow, certainly not just in church buildings or church meetings but in the pub, the club, at the school gate, in the office, at the football match. It’s not our problem to worry about the yield. Our job is just to sow. Like the mustard seed large plants can grow from small beginnings.

We have all sown the gospel. Some of it has produced good growth/good harvest. Some has produced bad fruit. What have we sown and harvested this year? The Spirit of God encourages us to go places we don’t want to go- the rocky soil. But we have a heavenly mandate, a vision. We are not tied down by ordinary human prejudices or the behaviour of people around us. We are called to sow and harvest good news, love, peace, justice even though this is no easy task.

So what harvest are we gathering? What are we harvesting as a world, as a society, as individuals?