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OPENING ANNO:

主播大秀 Radio 4.听 The Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam is the preacher for Sunday Worship for Harvest now, in a service direct from the Parish Church of St John, Devizes.听 The service is introduced by the Reverend Ben Rundell-Evans.

Ben Rundell-Evans:
Good Morning and welcome to this flourishing Market Town at the heart of the county of Wiltshire.听 Agriculture and the rural economy are a major feature of daily life here.听 Since the middle of the 12th century St John鈥檚 Church has helped our community mark this important season as we celebrate God鈥檚 goodness in creation and the blessings of crops safely brought in.

Our service combines the traditional celebrations of this season with the natural concerns of our Bishop, who is the Church of England鈥檚 Lead on the Environment, and we look forward to hearing more about that in Bishop Nicholas鈥檚 sermon later.听

Our first hymn was written at a time when no one doubted this planet鈥檚 ability to produce beautiful harvests into the future: 鈥淐ome ye thankful people come, raise the song of harvest home.鈥�

MUSIC (HYMN): Come ye thankful people come (St. George鈥檚, Windsor)
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Ben Rundell-Evans:
In the name of God, Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer
Amen.

The Lord be with you
And also with you

We begin our service by inviting (our congregation / young people in the congregation) to present, at the altar, gifts of the harvest to help support those in need in our community here in Devizes.

[CHILD 1] Let us bring forward symbols of the harvest,
gifts that God has created and his sun and rain have nurtured.
Thanks be to God.

[CHILD 2] Bring forward the harvest of the cornfields,
the oats and the wheat, the rye and the barley.
Thanks be to God.

[CHILD 1] Bring forward the harvest of roots,
the swedes and mangolds, turnips and sugar beet.
Thanks be to God.

[CHILD 2] Bring forward the harvest of seeds for next year鈥檚 crops,
for clover, for hay and for corn.
Thanks be to God.

[CHILD 1] Bring forward the harvest of vegetables,
peas, potatoes, beans and hops.
Thanks be to God.

[CHILD 2] Bring forward the harvest of pears and apples, berries and herbs.
Thanks be to God.

[CHILD 1] Bring forward the harvest of flowers,
the finest blooms from our gardens and our fields.
Thanks be to God.

Ben Rundell-Evans:
Bring forward the grain and the grape,
for our Saviour took bread and wine
to feed us with his body and his blood,
given and shed for the life of the world.
Let us feed on him by faith with thanksgiving.
Thanks be to God.

HYMN: O worship the King (Hanover)
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Jacqui Clark:
Human sin disfigures the whole creation,
which groans with eager longing for God鈥檚 redemption.
We confess our sin in penitence and faith.
Creator God, You delight in creation, its colour and diversity;
yet we have misused the earth
and plundered its resources for our own selfish ends.
You have showered us with blessings,
but we have been grudging towards others
and lacking in generosity in word and deed.

Choir: Kyrie Eleison, Mass of St. Thomas by David Thorne
Lord have mercyx2
Christ have mercyx2
Lord have mercy x2

Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam:
Almighty God,
who in Jesus Christ has given us
a kingdom that cannot be destroyed,
forgive us our sins,
open our eyes to God鈥檚 truth,
strengthen us to do God鈥檚 will
and give us the joy of his kingdom,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Ben Rundell-Evans:
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

Ben Rundell-Evans:
Our preacher is our diocesan bishop of Salisbury Nicholas Holtam.听 Bishop Nicholas has prefaced the two parts of his sermon with readings from the Bible.

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Bible Reading Genesis 1.24-31; 听听Reader: Judy Bridger:

The beginning of the book of Genesis paints a portrait of God creating the heavens and the earth in six days.听 This reading beginning at verse 24 of the first chapter of Genesis is the creation of the animals and people on the sixth day:

24 And God said, 鈥楲et the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.鈥� And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, 鈥楲et us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.鈥�
27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28God blessed them, and God said to them, 鈥楤e fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.鈥� 29God said, 鈥楽ee, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.鈥� And it was so.
31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

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Sermon Part One - Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam
鈥滸od saw everything that he had made and鈥� indeed, it was very good.鈥�
Seeing earth from space changed the way we think about ourselves. This beautiful blue planet looks different to any other. Having an atmosphere and water makes an environment where life flourishes. It is very good.
Life on earth is extraordinarily strong and it is also very fragile.
For the past two hundred and fifty years we have been burning fossil fuels that took millions of years to lay down in the ground. They have given us rapid development and brought enormous good, unevenly distributed around the world but producing astonishing economic prosperity and population growth.听
For all of my life, Harvest Thanksgivings have included thanks for the industrial harvests of processed foods in tins and packets. We once had a tractor in the church along with the fruit and vegetables. Coventry cathedral had a car as part of the harvest thanksgiving of the West Midlands.听
There were prayers for the just distribution of what we grow in a world in which half of our economic wealth is owned by 1% of the population and two billion people live on less than $2 a day.
Now our Harvest Thanksgivings have an environmental focus. As Greta Thunberg said last week, 鈥淭he science has been clear for thirty years.鈥�
The World Meteorological Organisation tell us that the last five years have been the warmest on record . David King, our UK government鈥檚 former Chief Scientist, said warming is happening faster than was generally predicted five years ago and it is connected with the rise in extreme weather events. The impact on the ice caps and oceans is greater than we thought.
The beginning of the Book of Genesis has two creation stories. That tells us they aren鈥檛 science or history but give and account of what it is to be people, under God, with one another, in this marvellous creation.
When God gave people dominion over the fish, animals, plants it can鈥檛 have been the sort of lordship that dominated, abused and selfishly exploited creation. Adam and Eve, all people, were to serve and conserve the earth. The lordship of Jesus is of service and love.
Our ecosystems are interconnected and easily damaged. Fires in the Amazon affect us all.
As the words of this poem by Malcolm Guite, composed by Ian Stephens in this new Song for the Season of Creation听 remind us, as we give thanks for the Harvest, everything holds together, everything
From stars that pierce the dark like living sparks,
To secret seeds that open every spring,
From spanning galaxies to spinning quarks,
Everything holds together and coheres,
Unfolding from the center whence it came.
And now that hidden heart of things appears,
The first-born of creation takes a name.

Choir: 听鈥淓verything Holds Together鈥�

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Bible Reading from Matthew;听听听 Reader: Reverend Jacqui Clark

A reading from Matthew, Chapter 5, beginning at Verse 13.
13鈥淵ou are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14鈥淵ou are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Sung: Praise to you O Christ

Hymn:听 We Plough the fields (Wir pflugen)
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Sermon Part 2 鈥� Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam
Last week, scientists spoke of being scared about the extent and speed of the unfolding 鈥榗limate emergency鈥�. Greta Thunberg gave an impassioned speech at the UN. Both were raising awareness and stirring up action that recognises the seriousness of climate change.
Doctors report they are seeing more people with anxiety and depression about what is happening to the planet. The scale of the problem is overwhelming. Some people feel paralysed.
Yet life goes on. We plough the fields and scatter in one way or another, build houses, have families, and try to do things more for better than for worse.听 How can we renew hope and make a difference?
Increasingly scientists and politicians realise that spirituality and community matter in making the connections between what we know and what we do. Faith matters if we are to make major change. It鈥檚 an exciting venture to create new ways and sustainable economies.
The Christian faith began at an empty tomb. Death is real but can point to resurrection. We come to church on Sunday through burial grounds to be renewed in our relationship with God, one another and all creation.
We can start with our own actions, learning to live more lightly on the face of the earth. 鈥楻educe, reuse, recycle鈥� is a helpful mantra.
In local communities 鈥� and churches are getting better at this through schemes such as 鈥榚co church鈥� 鈥� we can learn together about what is needed and what works. Loving God doesn鈥檛 make sense without loving one another and loving God鈥檚 earth.
But we鈥檙e not going to make enough progress without changes of policy and production. We are in the early stages of an industrial revolution that will have to move fast if we are going to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Change is happening. Up on the Wiltshire Downs farmers are changing the way they work to improve the soil and renew the earth.听 By the water cooler in some offices are cups that are not plastic but made from plants. There have been days in this country when 50% of our electricity was renewable energy and a few days when none came from coal.
When we pray, we place ourselves consciously before God as people who are prepared to be about the truth and accountable to it; to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God and one another.
A spirit of thankfulness for creation is reverent, hard-working and with God renews our hope.
You good people are the salt of the earth.

Choir: 鈥淭he Mystery of Christ鈥� (Totney)

Jacqui Clark:
God said, 鈥楲et there be light.鈥�
Eternal God, we thank you for your light and your truth.
We praise you for your fatherly care
in creating a universe which proclaims your glory.
Inspire us to worship you, the creator of all,
and let your light shine upon our world.
God of life:
ALL: Hear our prayer.

God said, 鈥楲et there be a firmament in the midst of the heavens.鈥�
We thank you for the vastness of the universe
and the mysteries of space.
We pray for all scientists and astronomers
who extend the boundaries of our knowledge.
As we contemplate the wonder of the heavens,
confirm us in the truth that every human being is
known and loved by you.
God of life:
ALL: Hear our prayer.

God said, 鈥楲et the waters be gathered together,
and let dry land appear.鈥�
We thank you for the beauty of the earth,
for the diversity of land and sea,
for the resources of the earth.
Give us the will to cherish this planet
and to use its riches for the good and welfare of all.
God of life:
ALL: Hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, you have filled the world with beauty:
open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works;
that, rejoicing in your whole creation,
we may learn to serve you with gladness;
for the sake of him through whom all things were made,
your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen.

As we pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us, we bring before him the sick and the suffering in body mind or spirit, the persecuted, the displaced and all who are grieving.

ALL:
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 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.

Hymn: To thee O Lord our hearts we raise (Golden Sheaves)
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Blessing - Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam
God the Father, who created the world,
give you grace to be wise stewards of his creation.
God the Son, who redeemed the world,
inspire you to go out as labourers into his harvest.听
God the Holy Spirit, whose breath fills the whole creation,
help you to bear his fruits of love, joy and peace
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.

Organ Voluntary 鈥� Sonata in A, Opus 65, No 3, 1st movement (Con Moto maestoso) - Mendelssohn

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