Service for Harvest Festival at Kokotos Estate – 22nd October 2023
The presiding priest is Fr. Bjorn Kling, the deacon is Deacon Christine Saccali, who is also preaching.
Opening hymn
- We plough the fields, and scatter
the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered
by God’s almighty hand:
he sends the snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain, Refrain:
the breezes, and the sunshine, All good gifts around us
and soft, refreshing rain. are sent from heaven above;
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
for all his love. - He only is the maker 3. We thank thee then, O Father,
of all things near and far; for all things bright and good,
he paints the wayside flower, the seed-time and the harvest,
he lights the evening star; our life, our health, our food.
the winds and waves obey him, Accept the gifts we offer
by him the birds are fed; for all thy love imparts,
much more to us, his children, and, what thou most desirest,
he gives our daily bread. [Refrain] our humble, thankful hearts. [Refrain]
Priest: Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
All: and also with you. (The priest welcomes everyone)
Deacon: God’s whole creation groans. We confess our sin in penitence and faith.
Consider the birds of the air; they do not sow or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Lord have mercy.
All: Lord have mercy
Deacon: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they do not toil or spin, yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Christ have mercy.
All: Christ have mercy
Deacon: How little faith we have. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Lord have mercy.
All: Christ have mercy.
(The priest then pronounces the words of Absolution)
May the God of love and power forgive you and free you from your sins, heal and strengthen you by his Spirit, and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect: Priest: Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season: grant that we may use them to your glory, for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. All: Amen
First reading Deuteronomy 8.7-18
For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land – a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig-trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
Reader : this is the word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God
Deacon: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Please stand for the Gospel
Jesus says: I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
Abide in me as I abide in you.
All: Alleluia (Sung)
Deacon: The Lord be with you.
All: and also with you.
Deacon: Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke
All: Glory to you, O Lord
Gospel reading Luke 12. 16-30
Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?[a] If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,[ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith! And do not keep seeking what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations[c] of the world that seek all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
This is the Gospel of the Lord
All: Praise to you, O Christ
Sermon: Deacon Christine Saccali Please sit
Confession of Faith please stand
Priest: Do you believe in God the Father, who created the world?
All: I believe and trust in God the Father
Priest: Do you believe and trust in his Son, Jesus Christ, who redeems mankind?
All: I believe and trust in Jesus Christ
Priest: Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit who gives life to the Church?
All: I believe and trust in the Holy Spirit
Priest: This is the faith of the Church
All: We believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Intercessions: Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Offertory hymn (the Collection will be taken during this hymn)
- Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin;
God our Maker doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home. - All the world is God’s own field, 3. For the Lord our God shall come,
Fruit unto His praise to yield; And shall take His harvest home;
Wheat and tares together sown, From His field shall in that day
Unto joy or sorrow grown; All offenses purge away;
First the blade, and then the ear, Give His angels charge at last
Then the full corn shall appear: In the fire the tares to cast;
Lord of harvest, grant that we But the fruitful ears to store
Wholesome grain and pure may be. In His garner evermore
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: and also with you
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
All: we lift them to the Lord
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
All: it is right to give thanks and praise
The priest then continues with the thanks and praise. After the words ‘forever praising you and singing’:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of thy
glory. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
The priest continues with the Thanksgiving
Deacon: Great is the mystery of faith
All: Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.
The priest continues with the Thanksgiving
All pray together in whichever language you chose:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Priest: We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
All: Though we are many we are one body, because we all share
in one bread.
All: Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Redeemer of the world, grant us peace
Priest: God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people
All: Jesus Christ is holy, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Communion
Priest: Lord of the harvest, with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation and have shared in the bread and the wine of the kingdom: by your grace plant within us a reverence for all that you give us and make us generous and wise priests of your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
All: Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.
Hymn : All things bright and beautiful
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.
The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,-
He made them every one;
The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows for our play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day;-
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God almighty,
Who has made all things well.
Priest: The blessing…..
The Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you all, evermore. Amen.
in Swedish and English
Deacon: Tend the earth, care for God’s good creation, and bring forth the fruits of
righteousness. Go in the peace of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God.
The wine tasting takes place straight after the Liturgy.
Our thanks to George and Anne Kokotos for enabling us to celebrate Harvest on their estate, and to Lynn Stavrou and her team for all her co-ordination of this event.
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