Guiseley Methodist Church • 26th September 2020

All good gifts around us

are sent from heaven above;

then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,

for all his love.

(StF 130)

Flo Porter-Brown has drawn a lovely harvest picture for us.  Her first idea was to have God at the top showering us with his good gifts.  That seemed a bit hard so she settled on the rainbow, a symbol which took on extra meaning during lockdown.

Flo’s mum, Lorette, comments that the picture shows nature but also reminds us of the people who bring God’s harvest gifts to us in the shops, which lockdown has shown us are also a gift from God which we also need to be thankful for.

Pause for a moment and thank God for all the ways in which you receive God’s harvest and all the people who bring it to you.

And when we’ve given thanks for God’s good gifts to us then we have to shift our focus onto those in urgent need of those gifts.  Over the summer Marcus Rashford drew our attention to children in this country in need of food vouchers.  When we look around the world we see the poorest people hit hardest by impact of Covid-19.

At harvest time, we rededicate ourselves to sharing God’s good gifts.

Roger.

Harvest giving this year will be monetary gifts to support the vital work of St George’s Crypt in Leeds city centre.  You can bring your contribution to church this Sunday or on October 4^th or post/deliver to Rev Keith Reed, 4 Shaw Villas, Guiseley LS20 9JG.

A Coptic sowing prayer

The Coptic Orthodox Church (in Egypt and also present in the Holy Land) has a special liturgy to bless each time of sowing.  This prayer, drawing on Psalm 65, can become our prayer too:

Priest:  Graciously accord, O Lord, to bless the seeds, the herbs, and the plants of the field, this year.

All:  Lord have mercy.

Priest:  Raise them up to their measure according to your grace. 

Give joy to the face of the earth.

May its furrows be abundantly watered and its fruit be plentiful.

Prepare it for sowing and harvesting.

Manage our lives as deemed fit.

Bless the crown of the year with your goodness

for the sake of the poor of your people,

the widow, the orphan, the traveller, the stranger,

and for the sake of us all who entreat you

and seek your holy name.

For the eyes of everyone wait upon you,

for you give them their food in due season.

Deal with us according to your goodness,

O you who give food to all flesh.

Fill our hearts with joy and gladness,

that we too, having sufficiency in everything always,

may abound in every good deed.

All:  Lord have mercy.

[From EMBRACE, the Christian charity tackling poverty and injustice in the Middle East]

As you know, we’re asking people wishing to attend church to book a place by phoning me on 01943 874735.  There’s plenty of places available, as singles or doubles, for Sundays 4th, 11th & 18th October.  The service on October 11th will include holy communion and details of how this will be done in a safe way will be distributed nearer the time.

We’re living in very uncertain times and each of us must decide what it’s wise for us to do and what it’s best not to do for the time being.  I’m constantly amazed by the generous, imaginative and courageous ways people are finding to live out their faith.  Keep on supporting one another!

Roger.

 If you need some help or would like a chat, please contact any one of us:

Rev Roger Smith  roger.smith@methodist.org.uk  01943 874735

Deacon Jenny Parnell  jenny.parnell@methodist.org.uk  0113 250 9805

Mrs Rosemary Williams (Pastoral Secretary)  rawilliams1942@outlook.com  01943 871048

If you’d like to keep using online worship material, go to the Circuit website or search YouTube for ‘Guiseley Methodist Church’ and you’ll find all the videos recorded over the past months.  You might like to rewatch one or see one you missed.  I know some people are doing this and finding it helpful.

This new hymn has been written for ‘the first service at which hymns are sung aloud following the Covid lockdown of 2020’ – none of us knows when that will be!  But you can use the words at home – as a hymn or as a prayer.  The hymnwriter suggests the tune Abbot’s Leigh (the set tune for ‘Lord thy church on earth is seeking’) or it could be sung prayerfully to ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’

Loving God, we come before you

glad to offer praise in song,

thankful for the many mercies

you have shown us all along.

Months of social isolation

have not parted us from you,

and in every situation

grace and love have led us through.

 

Yet so many struggle daily,

so we ask you, Lord, to bless

all the sick, the sad, the lonely,

all who suffer pain and stress,

all who mourn the loss of loved ones,

all whose loads are hard to bear,

and all those whose calm compassion

comforts those for whom they care.

 

Father, send the world your healing;

guide and strengthen us, we pray,

so that we may keep revealing

something of your love each day.

Whether facing sin or virus,

and despite what time may bring,

we shall ask you to inspire us,

trusting you for everything.

Words: Ben Batten, Chesham Methodist Church, 2020