Readings October 2019
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READINGS FOR SEPTEMBER Eucharists - Sundays and Holy Days (Where there is a choice of first reading at the Parish Eucharist the asterisk denotes the favoured text.
I was asked recently why we keep Harvest Festival in October when for the most part the Harvest has long since been gathered in. I must admit I’m not entirely sure of the answer but it may be a hangover from the days when harvesting was a manual activity. The grain harvest began at the beginning of August as it does now but without machinery it must have taken an awful long time to gather it, and then of course there was the harvest of fruit and vegetables as well. Alternatively, Harvest Festival as we know it, being a somewhat wistful Victorian creation, may rely on the encroaching darkness of October to generate that sense of cosiness which is so much a part of it. Clearly, Harvest is a pliable feast both in terms of its date and meaning. For the majority of us who do not work on the land it has long been a celebration at one remove. When a crop failure doesn’t threaten starvation just a few pence more on the price of a loaf it’s not easy to generate a heartfelt sense of thanksgiving. Yet, in addition to thanksgiving there have always been two subsidiary themes in Harvest Festival, viz; stewardship of God’s creation and concern for social justice. Both of them have strong scriptural warrant not least in the writings of the Prophets. In this age of environmental crisis Harvest Festival can be a reminder of our duty to the Creation of which we are appointed stewards and our duty to our neighbour. These responsibilities have never been so urgent. May God give us grace to rise to them. Charles Booth FROM THE REGISTERS Funeral
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