A Harvest Reflection
A time to enjoy, celebrate and be grateful
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Key Stage 3
Aims
To encourage us to consider our attitude towards eating seasonally.
Preparation and materials
- Optional: you may wish to arrange for students to read the following Bible passages: Genesis 1.11-12, Psalm 65.9-13 and Mark 4.26-29.
Assembly
- Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine the door of a country church. Either side of the door are sheaves of corn, creamy-yellow and full of grain. The archway of the door is garlanded with bright flowers, some picked from the surrounding fields, others the pride of local residents’ gardens. Go through the door and let your nose lead you. There is the tang of apples and the earthy smell of bunches of carrots and baskets of potatoes. The perfume from more flowers mingles with these scents.
Every window in the church is decorated. Rows of apples line the ledges while vases of poppies, lupins and many other plants filter the sun that beams in through the glass. At the front of the church, the altar is surrounded by pots, baskets and troughs of fresh produce and baking. A huge loaf in the shape of a sheaf of corn is at the centre, with pies and cakes plated around it. It’s a feast for the eyes and nose. This is harvest festival as it was celebrated around 50 to 100 years ago in many parts of the UK. - So, why were harvest festivals celebrated in this way for hundreds of years?
First, it was a sign of satisfaction, a job well done. The flowers, fruit and vegetables were examples of what had been harvested from gardens, farms and allotments over the previous weeks. There was produce for sale, freezers and pantries were full of jars and containers, and the baking was a sign of what could be made during the cold days of the coming winter.
Second, harvest festival was a thank-you to everyone who had contributed to the labour that was needed to complete the harvesting. The church hall would be the venue for the harvest supper, a grand meal for the workers and their families.
Finally, the church was the venue for the harvest festival service, an act of gratitude to God for his provision.
Optional: ask the prearranged students to read the Bible passages at Genesis 1.11-12, Psalm 65.9-13 and Mark 4.26-29.
During the service, traditional harvest hymns were sung, thankful prayers were said and the congregation left uplifted, reassured that all was well in their world.
Time for reflection
Harvest festivals are not unique to the UK. They occur throughout the world whenever the special local crop is harvested. There are grape festivals, tomato festivals, apple festivals . . . in fact, there’s probably a festival somewhere for every variety of fruit and vegetable. Harvest festivals occur within most of the world’s religions, an acknowledgement that a higher power is involved in nature and its produce.
But what about us now, here in (name your location)? What does harvest have to do with us?
After all, nowadays, we can obtain whatever we want, whenever we want it, although it comes at a price. We can have strawberries at Christmas and carrots in March, but we mustn’t forget the food miles. Freezing and processing creates an unending supply of what we want.
On the other hand, most towns and cities have established food banks for those whose budgets are stretched. However, in the UK, even those on low incomes can enjoy simple meals, whereas many in the world are literally starving to death, generally due to war or climate irregularities. Do they have a harvest festival?
Plus, shouldn’t we give some thought to the agrichemical industry, which provides fertilizers, and to the rights and wrongs of genetically modified crops?
I would suggest that harvest festivals have a lot to teach us today.
First, it’s not wrong to enjoy what we have available. What’s your favourite meal?
Listen to a range of responses.
Go ahead and enjoy it. Food is good: it satisfies and uplifts us. Also, eating in company creates a sense of family and community.
Second, we should be thankful to those who’ve been part of the chain of people who have made the meal possible. You can’t actually say thank-you to many of them (except the till worker at the shop and the cook), but be mindful of the rest of the chain. We enjoy what others have provided.
Finally, it’s beneficial to live a life where gratitude is encouraged. If we have a faith, let’s be grateful to the God who provides. If we don’t have a faith, it’s still right to pause before we eat and drink, to consider the privileged position that we hold, even in economically tight times.
Let’s remember that harvest is a time to enjoy, celebrate and be grateful.
Song/music
‘Harvest for the world’ by the Isley Brothers, available at: https://youtu.be/dUxiKQXxGR8 (3.54 minutes long)
