That same day Jesus left the house and went to the lakeside, where he sat down to teach. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it, while the crowd stood on the shore. He used parables to tell them many things.
“Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants. But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants bore grain: some had one hundred grains, others sixty, and others thirty.”
And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!”
Matthew 13 v 1 -9
As we continue to celebrate Harvest this month, today, we share with the pupils and staff of Lawfield Primary School in the message from their assembly this morning written and prepared by Mrs Diggle (Head Teacher) and myself. We hear the parable of the sower that Jesus told to help us think about the necessary conditions for healthy growth in life – physical growth but also growth of knowledge, kindness, strength, resilience and faith. We also think of the word Harvest and the lessons contained in each letter as a Harvest Prayer:
This week’s prayer:
H – is for “have” we think of all that we have: our families, our friends, our school, our church, work to do and ways to help. We are thankful for all that we have.
A – is for “abundance” we think of God’s wonderful world full of colour and shape and so much for us to enjoy.
R – is for “rest” after the harvest is safely gathered in, harvest season is a time for rest after hard work. Everyone needs this and we wish our school staff and pupils a restful October break.
V – is for “variety” we think of the huge variety of choice we have in the food we eat. Food travels so many miles across the world by boat and plane to reach our tables and to give us spice and sweetness, colour and texture.
E – is for “eat” we are grateful that we have enough to eat – usually 3 meals a day plus snacks and that we have food to “enjoy”.
S – is for “starve” because we remember that some people do not have enough to eat and Harvest is a time when we try to do something about that to “share” with others.
T – is for “team” we think of the fisherfolk, farmers, crop gatherers, factory workers, food packers and shop workers who make up the huge team of people who work hard to bring us our food. We also give thanks for the brilliant staff and volunteer teams in our school and in our church.
This week’s music:
