St Luke’s Day and Harvest Festival by Fr Jack

Exodus 33.12-23
St Paul’s First Epistle to the Thessalonians 1
St Matthew 22.15-22

I started writing this sermon with a whole load of words written on an otherwise blank page. Harvest. Thanksgiving. Giving. Healing. St Luke. Creativity, art. Berlin. Reconciliation. Harmony. Garden.

What a strange collection; but actually it was immediately obvious that they all come together, or at least it seemed to me, in a Jesus-eye view of today.

They were all on my page for different reasons.

Today we keep our Harvest festival. We give thanks to God for the abundance of creation. We render unto God that which is God’s (just as the Lord says in today’s Gospel). ‘That which is God’s’ being everything, of course. Even if Caesar or HMRC will take some of the latter fruits in due course, we give the first fruits of our labours to the one from whom it all comes in the first place.

Our well-beloved Gardeners’ Company bring us Harvest today. And with them they bring their story, our story of gardening, stewardship, fellowship, of care and society. You see how the Jesus-eye view of all these parts today begins to come together?

For some years now Harvest Sunday has also been a time for the stewardship committee at St Giles’ to write to us all - to thank us for our giving in money, time, energy and many other ways. And to ask us to consider giving more of all of these things as we are able. As perhaps you know, at St Giles’ there has also been a long tradition of the clergy not knowing what people give financially. I only know what I give each month. But thank you (even without knowing who or how much) thank you for all you give, all you do, and all you are in this place for the glory God and to steward that which has been entrusted to us. Thank you.

Thanksgiving was one of those words on my page. Thanksgiving (Eucharistia in Greek - no accident there) is at the heart of our lives. We make this greatest and most powerful act of Thanksgiving (the Holy Eucharist) at the heart of life Sunday by Sunday, in order that it may make our whole life one big thank-offering.

And (moving forward) today we offer this Eucharist (this thanksgiving) for St Luke as well as Harvest, St Luke’s Day being 18th October. St Luke is co-patron of our parish because of our now closed daughter church, St Luke’s Old Street.

That’s why healing and creativity were on my page. Because St Paul tells us that St Luke was a physician. And St Luke is also the patron saint of artists, he is supposed to have been an artist himself, (by tradition painting the first icon of Mary and Jesus). We have lots of medical types in our congregation and parish, and lots of artists and the Barbican Arts Centre of course too. All very appropriate. And of course, the healing of bodies, healing of communities, healing of the planet, the healing that art, music and creativity provide: these are all harvest themes too, at the heart of the Gospel, and the heart of our mission as the Church today in this place.

So you see, returning to gardens, this morning our Jesus-eye view of all these apparently disparate co-incidences is in fact to behold a flower bed of rich in diversity of themes and theology and ideas, but possessing a striking harmony of what it means to be invited (as we are) into the Kingdom of God.

Harvest. Thanksgiving-Eucharist. Generous giving. That comes from our awareness of stewardship and giving, our Harvest festival, and this defining act of Thanksgiving we place at the heart of our life day by day and week by week.

Healing. St Luke. Creativity and art. We pray for all those who live out this vocation in the footsteps of St Luke.

Harmony. Garden. It is all coming together. You’ll be spotting your own connections - the healing gardening brings. The way our generosity feeds a virtuous circle of generosity and gratitude. Feel free to disappear down rabbit holes all of your own, and ignore me, so long as your thoughts enlarge our hearts and minds as Jesus always sought to do in His ministry.

But one final thought, I also began on my page with: Berlin. Reconciliation.

Berlin? Some of you know that last weekend I was in our link parish of Mariendorf in Berlin. They are very worried about political extremism. Their God-given passion is to build communities where human beings grow in trust and respect and openness to one another: communities (here we are again) of healing and reconciliation. One Church leader spoke about how he has seen humiliation be much more dangerous even than poverty in turning people down dangerous paths. By contrast, hard-won dignity and trust overcome humiliation and fear, and the anger that stalks in their wake. This is a task of healing, of gardening ourselves and our communities so that they can bring life.

I began with a scribbled list of headings. But in fact with a Jesus-eye view, we see an invitation to behold a rich and beautiful theological garden before us today in the quiet during Holy Communion, perhaps ask yourself, which of these is God nudging you towards today? To enflame your passions, and be about His loving purposes in the world?

I’ll read my scribbled headings just one more time: Harvest, thanksgiving-Eucharist. Giving. Healing. St Luke. Creativity. Art. Berlin. Reconciliation. Harmony. Garden.