Amid folds clothed with sheep and lambs lay the small twelfth century church of St Michael and All Angels. Wooded hills rose around to the west; it was an idyllic spot. Since the farming community had dwindled, the congregation was much less than of old, but still very loyal – especially at Harvest Festival.

Sunday by Sunday several elderly women, being hard of hearing always occupied the front pew. Sometimes conversation before the service was rather noisy and in raised tones. One Sunday evening just before the service was to begin the vicar still in his black cassock came to the front as if to make an announcement. The noise of the conversation abated and the Vicar proposed a rime of quiet before the service began. But almost as soon as the vicar had gone back to the vestry one of the women anxious not to miss anything of importance began to enquire of her neighbour in loud tones ‘What did he say?’

An equally forthright reply came. ‘I don’t know I didn’t hear a word of it’.

‘I expect it was about next Saturday’s organ recital; I never cared for organs myself.’

And so it went on until the vicar and the choir processed in to begin the service. A hush duly fell on the entire congregation.

In ancient Jerusalem though the throngs gathered for worship at the Temple Festival might be great there were moments when all was hushed in awed silence. Maybe one of the prophets had called out as Zephaniah had ‘Be silent before the lord God’. ‘The Lord is in his holy Temple.  Let all the earth keep silence before him’.

One of the features of modern life is that I think we have lost a sense of awe in relation to God. We are so aware of the cleverness and ingenuity of mankind – and rightly so – there have been some wonderful and amazing feats that mankind has accomplished in the past 150 years. But the problem is that we have lost some sense of the power of God as the source of all that is – including human intellect and ingenuity. We have lost a sense of dependence upon God. We have begun to think that we are self-sufficient and self reliant. And also responsible to no-one but ourselves. This seems to have led to a cavalier attitude towards the earth - and with disastrous consequences.

The worship of God in the Temple in Jerusalem was designed to keep the relationship between God and his people in the right relationship. These were moments of silent awe when the presence of God was specially felt. Sometimes this was the moment of the solemn offering of sacrifice to God. This seems to be the case with Psalm 65 - a psalm traditionally sung at our services at Harvest festival. This psalm was probably used in the Great Temple services held in the autumn of the year. They consisted of confession of the nation’s sins and offerings made that God would send the autumn and winter rains to ensure a good harvest next year. A recognition that everyone and everything depended on the end upon God. Here would be silence and awe filled silence as the offering was made. After a while the singer plucks his lyre and begins to express wonder and gratitude that God has called the worshipers so near to him:

‘Praise is due to you O God in Zion. To you come all the children of the earth confessing their sins. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house of your most holy temple.’

But let us leave that ancient gathering for a moment and visit again the church of t Michael and all Angels. Here too it is autumn and a full congregation had gathered for the most colourful celebration of the church year – Harvest Festival. Window sills and pillars are adorned with gold and purples of the autumn flowers. The sanctuary is bedecked with fruit and vegetables and corn and loaves. The theme of Harvest is thankfulness for all that has been given, and also the recognition of dependence upon God and desire to share some of what has been given – riches ought to be shared.

The origins of the modern harvest festival are moderately modern. A vicar in Cornwall in the middle part of the 19^th century hit across the idea of asking the farmers of his rural parish to bring the fruits of the harvest to church in the autumn as a thank offering to God for the Harvest. The idea took off, within a decade everyone was doing it; hymns were written and the feast of St Pumpkin and All Marrows was established.

The real origins though of course are to be found with in Judaism with the offering of the first fruits of every crop to God in the Temple as a reminder that in the end it all belongs to God who chooses to give to us. A Tenth of all that was grown or produced was to be brought to the Temple and presented to the priest and an offering of praise was also offered as a sign that all this was due to God’s favour. Our Psalm 65 so often sung at harvest Festival had originally a slightly different thrust. Most likely it was a prayer for the next agricultural round. After 6 months of Palestine’s regular summer drought the rains were expected and greatly needed – without the winter rains nothing would grow – with dire effects – famine and ruination. So that ancient autumn festival had supreme importance. God was praised as the master of the rains giving life though the waters from the heavens. The people repented of their sins and turned to God afresh in earnest prayer:

‘You tend the earth and water it and greatly enrich it with produce.  With the heavenly stream full of water you prepare her corn and so you provide for the earth’.  

And so the Psalm continues:

‘Soak well the furrows of the earth. Soften her with showers and bless her springing into growth. Crown the year with your bounty and let your tracks flow down with goodness. May the pastures of your wilderness flow with your goodness. Let the hills be girded with joy.