Virtual Methodist

A short responsive Psalm used as the call to worship for our Harvest Service this morning: Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures for ever. I will give you thanks, for you answered my prayers; you are my salvation and my song. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. You are my God, and I will give thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures for ever. From Psalm 118 Selah

I posted this monologue based on John 12: 20-28 earlier in the year as part of our Holy Week reflections, but I'm posting it again as we head into Harvest Season - we'll be using it this morning as we meet for communion in the light of some difficult news I have to share with the congregation -  more on that in due course... I’ve followed him from the day when John the Baptizer pointed him out to us… Following him has never been straightforward… But things recently have just been plain confusing… When we entered into Jerusalem it seemed as if everything was coming together… Some said it seemed as if the whole world was at his feet… though that was probably stretching it a bit… But then some Greek speaking Jews asked to meet with him and we realized that this was now bigger than we had ever imagined… But he didn’t seem to see it that way… yes he seemed to think it was important… But he started to talk sowing seeds and reaping more… I suppose with it being the harvest se...

A short responsive psalm for us as a call to worship on Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday, and given that it was pouring with rain as I headed into church this morning the first line is an important remembrance that the rain we moan about is an important component of the fruitfulness of the land we live in: You tend the land and water it And the earth produces its abundance. You crown each year with your bounty, and our storehouses overflow with your goodness. The mountain meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are filled with corn; Your people celebrate your boundless grace They shout for joy and sing. from Psalm 65

Today we're having our harvest services, as many churches are, but like many urban churches it is often a little surreal, as our church sanctuary becomes transformed, for one day only, into a giant greengrocer's shop. That isn't happening in our own church this year as we have asked members of our congregation to either support the Belfast Vineyard Church's "Storehouse" programme by bringing along unperishable foodstuffs, or to support our "Nets for Nets" Fundraiser with financial donations, to help purchase mosquito nets for Zambia. This has caused a little disquiet among some of our older members, particularly those with a farming connection, as it won't quit seem like a proper harvest service for them... But if harvest services were to truly reflect the nature of farming in Northern Ireland these days, the piles of fruit and veg at the front would be largely supplanted by large plastic wrapped bales of silaged grass! Increasingly though, those...