St Mary's Church, Dymock

'Harvest Festival' is a popular time of year when Christians give thanks to God, the creator of nature, for the annual harvest that will feed us in the coming year; but as well as wheat, flour and bread, representing the harvest of the fields, there are several other harvests we should give thanks for and mention in our celebration.

To help us understand it, the events of a typical Harvest Festival were illustrated in 6 displays placed around Dymock Church; each with a 'Reflection' to help us stop and think about how it relates to our life today.

When the church is decorated for Harvest Festival, a harvest loaf usually displayed in pride of place. Different countries use different grain as a part of their staple diet. Many Asian countries use rice, whilst in much of Africa it's millet, but in Western countries like ours we use wheat to make bread.

Bread too goes back to pre-historic times. Years ago, if you were put on a basic diet, such as if you were in prison, you were given just bread and the other staple we need - water.

There are of course many other grains, such as maize and barley, both used for animal feed, but barley is also used to give us a particular joy - in the flavouring of beer and whiskey!

Reflection
God shows great goodness in his gifts - there's enough food in the world for everyone to have enough to eat if the earth's resources are shared fairly, but many people don't have enough. 947 million people every day get less calories than are essential for healthy living, one child dies of hunger every 5 seconds. We all have a responsibility to work for justice for the world's poor.

Does your family or school support a charity that helps the developing World - which one?

When God created the universe, he made a garden for us, 'The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and care for it.' (Genesis 2:15).

Gardening is like farming in miniature. Farmers grow fruit and vegetables in large quantities for our tables and kitchens. Gardeners grow not just beautiful flowers, but fruit and vegetables too, only usually in smaller quantities! Autumn is a favorite time for gardeners and farmers because they're able to harvest the fruit and vegetables that they've been patiently tending for many months. They've waited for exactly the right time to dig up or cut down their crops, so flowers, fruit and vegetable from our gardens are usually included in our Harvest displays.

Reflection
Every gardener and farmer knows that patience is very important. Harvesting too soon would mean that the crops were not fully grown or property ripened, but harvesting too late would result in them going rotten and being wasted.

Sometimes it's important for us to be patient and wait for the right time for things to happen. The Jews have been waiting centuries for God to send another saviour like their greatest king, David. Christians believe that God has already sent him, he is called Jesus of Nazareth, except God thinks in bigger ways than humans. He sent his Son, Jesus, to save all humanity, not just the Jews, and to save us from our own misdeeds not just warring neighbours, and so make us fit for God's perfect kingdom forever, as well as the earthly kingdom we live in now.

Being patient is a challenge, but like slow growing fruit and vegetables, growing in patience helps us grow in wisdom and maturity and helps make us fit for heaven. (Return to to Top)

Sheep are an important part of the farming industry in the UK. Fleeces of British sheep can be classified into three main types: carpet wools, down wools and long wools, each with different uses.

Sheep are either sheared in the early summer months, or immediately prior to winter housing in barns. Since sheep no longer molt naturally, shearing is necessary to prevent the animals from overheating during the summer months. Shearing is often carried out by shearers from Australia and New Zealand who travel the world to shear sheep all year round, so they become very expert at it.

From sheep, we 'harvest' meat, milk, cheese and wool. Woollen threads are used to make clothes, blankets, carpets and many other useful things.

Reflection
Many different coloured threads are used when weaving on a loom. One thread on its own can't do it, just as one person on their own can't make a family, a school, or a church.

From the Bible we learn that everyone is precious and equally loved by God. Each person has been given gifts to share with those around them, so we must learn to celebrate and accept the gifts of others.

The greatest gift we all have is God's own Son, Jesus, whom we accept with humility and thanks. Jesus compared the way he cares for us to the shepherd who cares for his sheep. He said, 'I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me (John 10:14).

At this time of year when we think about gathering in the harvest of the plants that grow in the soil and the animals that live in the sea or on the land. But we also use many raw materials in our everyday life, or to bring joy to our lives, that are mined or quarried (harvested) from the earth itself.

Many different metals have been extracted from the earth since pre-historic times and used to make weapons, as well as useful objects like ploughs, or objects of beauty like jewellery.

Clay too is harvested from the earth. People have been harvesting clay for thousands of years to make both useful and beautiful objects, ranging from giant urns for storing water, wine and oil to much smaller cups and mugs, or carefully decorated pieces of jewellery made as special gifts. We know this because museums collect and display ancient pieces of pottery that have been dug up by archaeologists at sites where our ancestors lived (There are examples of Roman pottery found around Dymock in the display case in the church).

Reflection
Jesus said, "Love God with all your heart.... and love your neighbour as yourself." (Mark 12:30-31), and also: "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving." (Acts: 20:35).

If you've ever given someone a gift to someone you love, especially if you made it yourself, you'll know the joy that it can give to both those who receive it, and those who give it away.
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For thousands of years fishermen have harvested fish from the seas around our shores and often risk their lives when they brave great waves and howling gales to bring us a harvest from the Seas.

But they don't just have the sea to contend with there's politics too! In the 1950s and then again in the 1970s, Iceland attempted to protect its waters and fish stocks from over fishing, especially by British Fishermen, it was called 'The Cod Wars'.

In 1995, the European Union declared that its Common Fishing Policy was failing. Stocks were being over-fished because the fishing fleets had got too big (there were too many fishermen and they were too good at it). Too many fish were being caught so they created a series of ever-reducing quotas to limit the amount fishermen can catch and therefore the numbers of boats... and so the amount they can earn. Fishermen were left to feel they're alone, not just at sea, but when they contemplated their future too.

Reflection
One windy night Jesus saw his disciples, trained fishermen, struggling to sail their boat in a strong wind on the Sea of Galilee. They were amazed and frightened when they saw him come towards them, actually walking on the water!
The Bible tells us that Jesus spoke to them at once, "Courage! It is I", he said. "Don't be afraid" Then..... he got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. (Mark 6:50-51).

St Paul described the 'Fruits of the (Holy) Spirit' in his letter to the Galatians 'But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.' (Galatians 5:22). People are made from the same materials as the earth - minerals and water - but we have the 'Breath of God' within us; that is, the gift of life. Like the earth, we can produce a good harvest or a bad one - useful products like wheat, fish and clay, or kindness, goodness and self-control - or we can produce weeds and desolation, like immorality and selfish ambition.

At the time of harvest, it's good to think about what sort of harvest we're producing from ourselves, and to remember to be faithful to God as he's faithful to us - to remember to thank him for all his gifts to us and to the earth.
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