Scripture: Exodus 23:14-19, (Deuteronomy 16:1-19) , John 4:25-39; 1 Thess. 5:18
Harvest Festival is a time when we give thanks to God for his goodness to us. And it is right to thank him for the Harvest. Yes, there is much to give thanks to God for.
The Harvest Festival Service stands in a long tradition for God’s people. It goes back a good 4,000 years. The ancient Israelites were fortunate in that God had commanded them to have not one, but three harvest festivals a year.
1. The first harvest festival was the Feast of the first fruits. It was usually held in April each year – when they harvest their barley crops. Barley was the first crop to become ripe and ready for harvest in the year.
After harvesting at least their ’first fruits’ all the Israelites would form caravans and travel to Jerusalem, singing songs of praise to God and rejoicing in His goodness all along the way. Exodus:15-16,19“No one is to appear before me empty-handed. 16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.
When the holiday worshipers first arrived in Jerusalem, they would proceed to the Temple area, putting their baskets of ’first fruits’ upon their shoulders and carrying them in the Temple Court.
The worshipers, with their offerings on their shoulders, would then recite after the priests Deuteronomy 26:3 (recite together)“Today I acknowledge to the LORD your God that I have entered the land the LORD swore our fathers to give us.”
The priests held them from underneath. The worshipers and priests, together, would then wave the offering of first fruits before the Lord in a symbolic pattern – forward, backward, up and down
The offering of the first sheath symbolized that the whole of the harvest belonged to God, it was from him, given by his power. The land produced nothing as a result of human power or cleverness, but all of God. Psalm 24 teaches us:-’The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein’ Ps 24:1
The people would then recite after the priests another portion of Scripture,
Deuteronomy 26:5-10. This passage praises God for their deliverance from slavery in Egypt to a land of abundance and ends with the declaration (recite together): “I have now brought the first of the land’s produce that You, LORD, have given me” and the direction: “You will then place the container before the LORD your God and bow down to Him.”
God claims first place in our lives, has first claim on everything that we are, think, say or do. We are called daily to offer everything in our lives, holding nothing back, to him to use in the way that he would chose.
There is a promise here that is not actually stated, but is certainly implied. The fact that it was specifically the FIRST sheath that was waved contains the promise that there was to be more to come. There were to be many more sheaves to be reaped and brought in from the fields. The first sheath was the guarantee that there would be a full harvest.
2. The second harvest festival was celebrated on the day of Pentecost. This harvest Festival is to give thanks for the of wheat harvest. Deut. 16:10-12
10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. 11 And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you. 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.
The worshipers would present their specially prepared two loaves of wheat bread before the altar in the same manner as the baskets. In this case, the priests would actually be standing on the altar as they held the loaves from underneath and waved them with the worshipers.
Rather than burn this offering, the loaves were then given to the priests for their consumption; a blessing and provision as the Lord’s chosen ministers on His behalf before the people.
3. And the third harvest festival was the Feast of Tabernacles, which occurred after the grape.
All three of these festivals reminded them of God’s blessing on his people.
Deut. 16:16-17 16 Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.
Now these are Jewish harvest festivals, thus God’s instruction of observing Harvest Festival Thanksgiving also applies to us?
Jesus stated that he had come, not to get rid of the law, but to fulfill it. The law was given, not just as a worship manual, or a list of instructions on how to behave, but to point to the coming of Jesus and all that he would do and teach, so that when we are in him in obedience and service, we will have the life that he offers in its fullness.
There are three things that the first Old Testament harvest festival of the year teaches us,
firstly that God is good and gives to us not because he has to, because we have performed some special ritual or have manipulated in his power in some way, but because of his character, because he wants to,
secondly that everything belongs to him, and he has first claim on our lives,
thirdly, that God’s children should be thankful and express their gratitude with generous giving in acknowledgement that God is good all the time!
How generous and expressive are we in our thanksgiving Harvest Festival?
I am sure you are giving generously as the Lord give you bountiful harvest in your products here in Bukidnon.
Kabacan Central UMC had a total offering of 2 million pesos during their harvest festival. They normally observe three harvest festival yearly.
FUMC Davao city celebrate yearly one day salary festival for scholarship
In our New Testament reading, Jesus put a new slant on the meaning of harvest.
Harvest of Souls
It was usual for all 1st century Jew to go annually to these the Festivals. And Jesus would have been no exception.
Yet Jesus took the concept of harvest to a higher plane in our New Testament reading.
The background to the story in John 4 is this: Jesus came to a village in Samaria called Sychar. He met a woman- who was a social outcast – at the well there He struck up a conversation with her. He then surprised her by telling her life’s story – even though this was the first time they had ever met.
She was astounded and rushed back to the village to tell the other villagers that she believed she had found the Messiah. As she went off into town, the disciples returned with supplies and urged Jesus to eat. But Jesus’ attention was elsewhere. And he used this opportunity to encourage them to see beyond the “here and now”. To look for something on a higher plane. He said in John 4:34
“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
And he went on to tell them that the time was now ripe for a harvest of souls.
As he spoke these words – the Samaritans led by the returning woman –
came towards him through the fields. And as he looked at them –
he said to the disciples:“Look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest”
The time has come – Jesus is saying – to reap a spiritual harvest. We need to go out and tell people about the Kingdom of God.
So what is this spiritual harvest that Jesus is talking about. I believe that it is an ingathering of people into the kingdom of God.
There are – as I see it – three keys to success in the spiritual harvest.
They are keys that parallel a successful earthly harvest.
These keys are: The Seed, the Season and the Servants.
A. SEED (Jn 4:42)
I think the seed of the Spiritual harvest in John 4 was the recognition – by the Samaritans that Jesus was the Savior of the world.
We read in John 4:42 that the Samaritans said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
Why was it necessary for Jesus to be the Savior of the world, you might ask?
1. Man has a problem in relation to God, his wrongdoing – we call that sin. It separates him from God.
2. And the result of sin is death – that is eternal separation from God.
Man therefore needs someone to put that relationship right. He needs a Saviour – someone who could take the penalty for our sins and bring us back to God
3. God loves us so much that he wants us to come back into a relationship with him.
4. And so he sent Jesus to this earth to die in our place. It is through faith in Christ that we can come back to God.
St. John put it in a nutshell when he said “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
That’s what John means by belief. It explains why Peter – preaching on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 – tells the crowds that they have to repent from their sin –if they want to accept Jesus as their Savior.
And 3,000 people became Christians that day – I wish I could preach like that!!!!
This is the message that is the seed that we have to sow – if we want to take part in the spiritual harvest.
B. SEASON John 4:35
The second key to a success in the spiritual harvest is getting the season right. In John 4:35, Jesus said: Do you not say, `Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
Don’t procrastinate – the time for harvest is NOW.
Harvesting can only be done at the right time that is to say during the harvest season. Jesus is saying that the spiritual harvest season is now.
C. SERVANTS
The third key to a success in the spiritual harvest is finding servants who will reap. Jesus has given us – the Church – work to do.
He said in Jn 4:38 “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
In Jesus’ day it was all hands to the pumps during harvest. They didn’t have the luxury of combine harvesters. Harvesting was extremely labor intensive.
What Jesus is saying is that, in the kingdom of God, the time has come for every believer to be active – reaping in the harvest.
God can use each seemingly insignificant seed that we sow.
Illustration:
My appointment 1963-65 Makalakina Frontier Work: consisting of Marabog, Kalilangan, La Roxas, Nabaliwa, Kilikili. During the first year only one worship-ping congregation. One small church building in La Roxas, no parsonage, 15 pesos monthly salary, so I have to walked by foot. When in La Roxas I sleep at the house of Mr. David Bansoy, I normally visit Dagumbaan, conduct Bible studies and devotions, sleep at the house of Mr. Perfecto Camannong. Early 1965 we started a worshipping congregation with the arrival of ilocanos from Luzon that includes: the Agustin families, etc.
The harvest was made by Pastor Federico Sanchez when he organized this church in 1966.
Next time I saw this church, was an unfinished church building. I told the DS to apply for the UMVIM to make Dagumbaan. They worked to finished your church and helped you in your parsonage. So I also planted the seed for the completion of your church and your parsonage. Thanks be to God.
4. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I assure you that God is happy as we give thanks generously for the harvest festival in recognition of the love and goodness of God to your life, your farm and other business you are carrying. However let us not limit our thanks to God for an earthly harvest.
Let us remember that God has called the Church to reap a Spiritual Harvest -the harvest of souls.
We do have a powerful message that can make the difference. The story of Jesus in our lives is powerful. God can use it to plant a seed in the hearts of others. As we pray and are open to opportunities for sharing our Christian story with others – we will find ourselves really making a difference in our community.