A Better Harvest

An Intergenerational Service for Thanksgiving Day

November 22, 2012
Lectionary Texts: Joel 2:21-27, Psalm 126, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Matthew 6:25-33

INTERGENERATIONAL WORSHIP:
This litur y inclu!es se"eral strate ies to en a e the whole con re ation in cele#ratin creation an! the har! wor$ that oes into %oo! &ro!uction' This theme emer es %rom an ecolo ical inter&retation o% the lectionary rea!in s %or the cele#ration o% Than$s i"in ' (ther strate ies %or en a in con re ants o% a "ariety o% a es an! learnin styles may #e %oun! at the en! o% this ser"ice'

EXEGETICAL NOTES: The natural worl! is a main character an! the &rimary %ocus o% the #oo$ o% Joel' )ts &ro&hecy is communicate! throu h the #eha"ior o% the lan!, the cro&s, the weather, an! es&ecially the locusts* To this !ay, no one has %oun! an e%%ecti"e way to sto& a swarm o% locusts, !estructi"e insects who consume their wei ht in %oo! !aily, an! still sym#oli+e %amine, &articularly in ,%rica an! the Mi!!le -ast' Li$e hurricanes an! torna!oes, mo!ern technolo y allows us to trac$ locusts, #ut not sto& them' , swarm o% locusts li$e that !escri#e! in the #oo$ o% Joel was in!ee! a natural !isaster that woul! ha"e threatene! the entire community.s %oo! su&&ly' /et, Joel also o%%ers ho&e %or relie%' To!ay.s lectionary rea!in !escri#es an a#un!ant har"est o% the $in! we cele#rate at Than$s i"in , stressin that renewal is &ossi#le e"en a%ter the com&lete !e"astation a locust swarm or other natural !isaster #rin s' This same ho&e %or restoration is echoe! in Psalm 126, as are the natural meta&hors in Matthew 6' The har"est is an a&t meta&hor %or renewal an! restoration in that it %ollows the seasonal cycles that renew 0o!.s creation year a%ter year, em#e!!in ho&e %or new rowth in each o% us as we watch an! learn to trust that s&rin will %ollow winter' )t is also a&&ro&riate in that it re1uires a 2oint e%%ort #y 0o! an! human$in!' 3e must &lant an! ten! a ar!en i% we wish it to row, #ut Jesus remin!s us in Matthew 6 that we must also trust in 0o!.s role in our li"es as in creation' This &ast summer.s !rou ht has meant a less than #ounti%ul har"est %or many %armers in our country' ,nyone who !ro"e throu h the Mi!west in mi!-summer saw miles o% !ry corn hus$s an! %iel!s alrea!y &lowe! un!er' )n li ht o% such challen es, it is !i%%icult to ha"e ho&e %or im&ro"e!

en"ironmental con!itions an! a #etter har"est next year' 4onetheless, ho&e is what will %uel us to !o the necessary wor$ to hol! u& our en! o% our colla#oration with 0o!' 3e !o not ain #y worry, #ut #y ten!in to our ar!ens an! carin %or creation'

!N

"ome, # Thankf$l %eo&le, "ome

TNCH 422

"A'' T# (#)SHI%
To ma$e this call to worshi& more accessi#le to &re-literate or "isually im&aire! con re ants, intro!uce the con re ational res&onse #e%ore you #e in, intro!ucin a esture you will ma$e that will cue their res&onse, 56ome, than$%ul &eo&le, come*7 )% this &ractice is new to the con re ation, &ractice this call an! res&onse a %ew times #e%ore #e innin the in"ocation, encoura in them to s&ea$ their res&onse with usto*

Leader: "ongregation* Leader: "ongregation* Leader: "ongregation* Leader: "ongregation* Leader: "ongregation* %)A
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To the Thanksgiving table of plenty, "ome, thankf$l &eo&le, come+ To the kitchen where familiar hands prepare with love, "ome, thankf$l &eo&le, come+ To the farm where callo sed hands plant and tend, "ome, thankf$l &eo&le, come+ To the rich earth, where roots stretch and seeds grow, "ome, thankf$l &eo&le, come+ To this service of worship and praise of the !od of creation, "ome, thankf$l &eo&le, come+

"#N-,SSI#N

So.er of "reation, (e a/mit that .e are not s$re .here all o$r foo/ comes from0 (e /o not al.ays kno. .ho &re&are/ it, #r .hether those .ho gro. an/ &re&are o$r foo/ have eno$gh foo/ themselves0 o$, .ho crafte/ each of $s by han/, (e confess that .e /o not al.ays care for o$r bo/ies, That .e sometimes eat .hat is easy rather than .hat is healthy,

An/ that in /oing so .e have /isres&ecte/ yo$r gifts to $s0 Hel& $s to a&&reciate the goo/ foo/ yo$ have &rovi/e/ for $s, Heighten o$r a.areness of the .ays .e benefit from labor in farm an/ factory, )emin/ $s of the miracle that brings $s no$rishment each /ay, An/ make $s tr$ly thankf$l to/ay an/ every /ay0 Amen0 ASS1)AN", #- %A)D#N Created Comm nity, know that !od"s everlasting faithf lness reaches o t to each and every one of s to give s hope for a better harvest in the changing seasons of o r lives# H
!N

2reat is o$r -aithf$lness

TNCH 42$

!1'TI2,N,)ATI#NA' S,)!#N A"TI3IT

Collaborating With God , Multi enerational 8ermon ,cti"ity is an interacti"e acti"ity that can intro!uce, conclu!e, or #e inte rate! in a sermon so as to encoura e a more em#o!ie! ex&erience %or &eo&le o% all a es' )t may also #e use! as a chil!ren9s sermon, #ut is most e%%ecti"e when #roa! &artici&ation is encoura e!'

Title* The 2ar/en of 2ratit$/e The ancient &eo&le who were the :i#le.s ori inal au!ience $new an! un!erstoo! %armin ' 8o !i! our early ,merican %or#ears, #oth ,merican )n!ians an! Puritan re%u ees, whose stories we tell at Than$s i"in ' Plantin an! har"estin was their way o% li%e, #ut this is not the case %or many in our con re ations' This acti"ity o%%ers &eo&le o% all a es the o&&ortunity to row %oo!' Pro"i!e soil, see!s or see!lin s, an! containers %or con re ants o% all a es to &lant win!owsill her#s to ta$e home' )% your con re ation has a Than$s i"in canne! %oo! !ri"e, you can com#ine the two &ro2ects #y also collectin em&ty %oo! cans to use as containers %or these win!owsill ar!ens, as a remin!er that e"en when our %oo! comes %rom cans, it also once rew in the roun!' )% you woul! li$e to ex&an! this &ro2ect on a lar er scale, ha"e a church ar!en committee ma$e a &lan ahea! o% time to create a "e eta#le ar!en on your roun!s ;or roo% in an ur#an con re ation< so that you can share your %uture har"est with the con re ation or the community' 6on re ants can ta$e see!s or

see!lin s home to care %or them o"er the winter, an! then #rin them #ac$ to &lant in the church ar!en in the s&rin ' B',SSIN2 -#) S,,DS 'ea/er* !iver of Life, %o r o t yo r blessing like rainfall pon the seeds we have planted, That they may grow to no rish yo r people# &ake s vigilant caretakers of these plants as they grow# %eo&le* (e tr$st yo$ to /o yo$r &art an/ .e .ill /o o$rs+ Amen0 "A'' -#) TH, #--,)IN2
'n the spirit of Thanksgiving, let s bring forth o r gifts with gratit de#

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D,DI"ATI#N
(eaver of all life, in this 4oyo$s season .e offer o$r heartfelt thanks for the ab$n/ance that s$rro$n/s $s an/ ask that yo$ remin/ $s to e5ten/ the season of thanksgiving as .e share these yo$r gifts .ith yo$r &eo&le that they may kno. a better harvest0

!N

-or the -r$it of All "reation

TNCH 42(

B,N,DI"TI#N
)s yo celebrate this Thanksgiving *ay, may the depth of yo r gratit de give yo hope to work toward a better harvest of the gro nd and of the +pirit# Thanks be to !od#
A Better Harvest, An Intergenerational 'it$rgy for Thanksgiving Day , was written by the ,ev# *r# La rel -oepf Taylor, )ssistant %rofessor of .ld Testament at /den Theological +eminary, +aint Lo is, &isso ri#

Copyright 2012 Local Ch rch &inistries, Congregational 2itality and *iscipleship &inistry Team, 3nited Ch rch of Christ, 400 %rospect )ven e, Cleveland, .H 4411(51100# %ermission granted to reprod ce or adapt this material for se in services of worship or ch rch ed cation# )ll p blishing rights reserved#

5 Ways to Welcome Children in Worship*

The Rev. Dr. Laurel Koepf Taylor
Engage the enses Your worship service already engages multiple senses in more ways than you realize! Emphasize this and come up with more ways of creating active, multisensory worship that will be authentic to your congregations worship style. Doing this will welcome children as well as a wider range of adults! !rovide a""ath Toys When we thin of !abbath "oys, we usually thin of our #uritan roots, when children were only allowed to play with $oahs %r on !undays. &evive this old tradition with a twist! #rovide soft toys that follow the liturgical seasons or the theme of the days worship so that childrens play will be a part of the communitys worship, not a distraction from it! 'iblical felt pieces or a pictorial worship bulletin are simple ways to get started. #o $eyond Children%s ermons We communicate our welcome of children in worship most clearly in the liturgical actions we value most in our tradition. (nvite children to ta e lay leadership roles in worship and ma e sermons accessible through conversational style, team preaching, sermon activities, and preaching illustrations that appeal to a variety of life stages. Encourage Church &amily E)tended families rarely live close to one another anymore but people still need intergenerational relationships and support. *hurch is a great place to provide this! +embers of the e)tended ,church family- who wish to e)perience spiritual renewal by worshipping with a child can volunteer to give tired parents a brea on !unday morning. 'e sure to oversee this practice in a way that complies with ,safe church- policies. 'nclude Children in the &ull Life of the Church( %dults and children will be more tolerant and loving of one another if they now each

other as people. Encourage childrens participation in church life and create opportunities for friendships to grow across generations.

=Pre&are! %or the Your Church !"tt"r wor$sho&s at 0eneral 8yno!, 2>11, Tam&a, ?lori!a