A new heaven and a new earth

Introduction – Rachel Mann
Good morning and welcome to this service for Harvest. Traditionally it’s a time to celebrate and offer thanksgiving for God’s bounty in nature. It is, rightly, an opportunity to give thanks for summer’s bounty as it is gathered up and gathered in ahead of chillier days. As someone who grew up in a little Worcestershire village, Harvest always makes me think of the farmers who brought the fruit of their fields to lay at the altar of the church. But I’ve lived in cities for nearly thirty years now and I’m not sure that picture of harvest has much traction for many of us anymore. So today’s service reflects on what harvest can mean for those of us who, even in a covid-shaped world, live in a busy urbanised environment. When most of us live in cities and towns, what does it mean to give thanks for God’s gifts in nature? And, after months of tiring but necessary restrictions on our lives, what do we have to be thankful for? What ‘harvest’ do we who live in urban settings have to offer those who don’t? Whatever that harvest is, I trust that what unites us with those who keep a traditional harvest is an acceptance that, as our opening hymn says, all good things around us come from heaven above.
Music 1 – We Plough the Fields and Scatter –King’s School CanterburyCD The Complete New English Hymnal Vol 16
Opening Prayer – Rachel
That’s a hymn which resonates with my childhood growing up in one of the most beautiful places in the world, lush with green fields, flowing with the mighty River Severn and producer of some of the nation’s finest food. But I’ve also learned to love the energy and diversity of the city too. The sheer vibrancy of my home, Manchester, is, for me, charged with the Spirit of God. However, I’m only too aware that often I feel very distant from what I knew growing-up. As a youngster I would help gather in the harvest. I picked peas and lifted potatoes and it was difficult work, rewarded with the delight of freshly harvested food and a few quid in your pocket. Now, I go to the supermarket. It’s wonderfully convenient and the food options are amazing, but I find it easy to forget the profound, god-given interdependence between each of us and the natural world. Sometimes I lose sight of the seasons. When that happens I find it’s difficult to remember that all of life depends on God and that we should be thankful to him for all the changing seasons of life. Throughout the service we will hear reflections from people who live in towns and cities and wish to acknowledge God’s gifts in nature and creation.
Abundant God,You long to meet us where we are –in city, town and village;in the rush of modern lifeand in the ancient rhythms of the natural world.fill our hearts this day with thanksgiving and hope,and call us back to your truth:that the world of which we are partbelongs to you, and that all we have is yours.Amen
Music 2 – For The Beauty of the Earth - Beth Nielsen Chapman CD Prism : The Human Family Songbook
Link - RMFor The Beauty of the Earth sung by Beth Neilson Chapman.… If at harvest-time we celebrate creation and give thanks, it would also be absurd not to acknowledge the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our lives. Lockdown brought a great pause to the twenty-four-seven culture of a great city like Manchester and covid-19 has taken and changed so many lives and livelihoods. In our first reflection for this service of urban harvest, we hear from Azra Ali, Councillor for Burnage and a trustee of Burnage Food Bank, who speaks not only with thanksgiving for the generosity of those who give to food banks, but remembers the tests and trials this time of pandemic has presented to many.
Reflection: Azra Ali, Burnage Foodbank. I will never forget that first week of lockdown. The stress and the sense of urgency. At our first emergency Burnage Foodbank board meeting we were far from sure we had the staff numbers or food resources to meet what we knew would be huge uptake in need. I thought of that story of Jesus I learnt as a child: of the feeding of the five thousand from just a few loaves and fish. Would it take just such a miracle to meet the need in Burnage? The people of south Manchester donated far more than bread and fish. We received countless baskets full of food, and volunteers stepped forward from every part of the community. Each week, the giving went up. Supermarkets, local businesses, faith communities and individuals came together and proved that people are not as selfish as some in the media portray. If supermarket shelves were empty it was because people were buying more to share with us. That profound generosity from every part of the community was stunning, and at this harvest-time, I thank each and every person and organisation that has helped foodbanks up and down the nation. I also think it only right to acknowledge the way in which the pandemic has affected some of our communities in the city. Those fromBlack, Asian, Minority, Ethnic backgrounds and those in the most precarious housing and jobs have born the brunt. However, I love our city of Manchester and our fabulous community. As we saw after the Arena bombing as well as in this pandemic, The people of Manchester, have a gift for responding to crisis with grit, courage, and practical love and will do so regardless of race, religion, orientation or any difference. It is this spirit of solidarity and mutual support that helps us build and maintain strong communities across our city – and something we’ll continue to need in the coming months. When we all work together and share generously what we have, we build a community worth having and keeping.
MUSIC – When I needed a neighbour – Wells Cathedral Choir (2’08)CD More than Hymns 
Rachel Our prayers throughout the service will be led by Giles Elliot, a member of St Nicholas Burnage and a manager at a Manchester mental health charity, giving both thanks for what we have and acknowledging the deep costs of the past year.

PRAYERS– GILES 
As we come to our creator God in prayer, we come with thankfulness for all we have been given: but let us not be afraid to bring also our pain, our fears, and our dreams – for those we know, for our world, and for ourselves.
[Our communities] Creator God, we offer you the communities in which we live. We thank you for those the small acts of kindness by ordinary people and ask that you help us, too, to be instruments of your love.
We pray for the many whose lives have been upended this year: who have lost jobs; had to look after bored children alone in gardenless homes; were vulnerable already but have seen their support structures disappear. 
We pray for all those who have worked hard to help those who need it during lockdown, providing food, care, and support. We thank you for their generosity of heart, and pray for their safety. 
End on a prayer Lord, in your mercyHear Our Prayer
MUSIC 4 – Come Ye Thankful People Come – Leigh Nash (1’55)CD Hymns & Sacred Songs 
Link: RMWhile those of us who live in cities and towns are called to rediscover how we might cherish and connect to God’s natural world, I don’t think any of us should simply believe that the urban and the rural, the city and nature, are in opposition. I take heart that the Bible closes with a vision of a city – the heavenly city of Jerusalem heralding a new heaven and a new earth. In the bible, this city is a place of gift and grace. We hear of this city in our first reading, taken from the Book of Revelation, and read for us by Alison Mills, Church Warden at St Nicholas Burnage. We shall then hear from Kieran Bohan of the Open Table Network, a community which seeks to create safe sacred space for all LGBTQIA+ people. He will reflect on how, in the face of real challenges, the wonders of modern connectivity have brought some of the church’s most excluded people together in new and wonderful ways
REVELATION 21.1-5a
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,“See, the home of God is among mortals.He will dwell with them;they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes.Death will be no more;mourning and crying and pain will be no more,for the first things have passed away.”5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.”
Reflection: Open Table Network – Kieran Bohan
The Holy City we’ve just heard about is more than a revelation of end times - the seeds of hope are here now, offering a taste of God’s family or ‘kin-dom’. But what does this mean to isolated Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender people, right now, in COVID times?Many LGBT people are isolated at the best of times; and while many people can turn to faith groups in tough times, we often can’t. Churches often reject us. A survey done in 2016 sadly showed, that 3 out of 5 young LGBT people, who were interested in joining a faith group, limited or stopped taking part because of the response to their sexuality or gender identity.During lockdown, things were difficult for the LGBT community, especially those who’ve had to quarantine with families who are hostile. They long to connect with others who will honour and care for them just as they are.That’s what our Open Table communities hope to do! Our first Open Table community began 12 years ago at St Bride’s in inner-city Liverpool, (a monthly communion service for LGBT Christians who’ve been made unwelcome by church)….….and it is now an example of the way all churches could be: a place where our whole selves can thrive. A young bisexual woman in our community said: ‘It feels like a little taste of God’s kingdom - a little tiny bit of what the world should be like!’St Bride’s, which hosted that first Open Table community, has reaped a huge harvest through welcoming the city’s LGBT community. And five years ago, we began to plant others! We now support 16 other Open Table communities across England and Wales, with many more to come.Rachel earlier described the Holy City as ‘a place of gift and grace’. And Revelation proclaims ‘the home of God is among… his peoples’. ‘God’s peoples’ includes everyone. LGBT people are also God’s people. Surely, that shouldn’t be such a revelation. The heavenly voice of our reading promises that God will ‘wipe every tear from their eyes’. I cried many fearful tears when I heard God calling me to serve the Open Table community.But the Psalmist sings, ‘those who sow in tears shall reap with joy’. And, with God’s help, that has come true. Open Table invites you to ‘Come As You Are’, knowing that God loves you as you are, wants you to flourish, and to know joy in God’s loving family. MUSIC 5 –And I saw a heaven – Bainton - Choir of St Brides, Fleet StreetCD – I Saw the Lord 
Prayers - Giles: 
[Those who suffer]
Creator God, bring your light, your healing, and your love into the lives of all those who suffer.
We pray that you will wipe away the many tears that have been shed. 
We pray for people who don’t feel that they belong, including those who are LGBT, and haven’t found acceptance in their familes or a welcome in their church.We remember those who because of the corona outbreak have been separated from groups where they felt at home.We think especially of for those who’ve had COVID 19, and for people with other conditions whose treatment has been delayed or complicated because of lockdown, and those in care homes and hospices who’ve been separated from loved ones. We pray for people whose mental health problems have been worsened because of the lockdown, who feel stuck inside their own heads with no way out. And we pray for those recently bereaved, who find an aching hole where a loved one used to be. We ask that you walk with them in their grief. Lord, in your mercyHear Our Prayer
Rachel:
Lockdown was a time of great disruption, challenge and, indeed, pain. As we head into autumn and winter, with increasing restrictions and the possibility of further lockdowns, we also need to prepare ourselves for further challenges. However, because God is found in the midst of life, it’s always possible, however dimly, to discern his presence. While I remember the shock I felt when traffic-choked roads fell silent back in March, for the first time in years I could hear the dawn chorus above the city’s din. God does bring joy in the abundance of nature – and this joy may be known in the heart of the city and in crisis. We hear nowfrom Rev’d Grace Thomas, curate in Whalley Range Manchester and a passionate advocate for environmental justice, about how living in a city in recent months has brought forth fresh challenges and a harvest of thanksgiving.


Reflection Rev’d Grace Thomas
Before lockdown, I viewed my commute through a window, journeying across Manchester by bus or car, catching fleeting glimpses as I daydreamed from my seat. If I wanted to enjoy the wonders of creation, I travelled elsewhere, submerging myself whilst on holiday, in a rural place of beauty for a week or two, before returning home. When the roads fell silent in March, I took the plunge and started cycling. Searing through the city on two wheels, I was suddenly afforded a new perspective. The empty roads gave me an opportunity to see the rich greenery, smell the perfumed spring air and hear the chorus of birdsong. Even as the traffic increases, my attention is now sharpened to the complexity, diversity and sheer abundance of creation in this unruly, chaotic context. At harvest time in Manchester, whilst we do not plough the fields and scatter, to quote the earlier hymn, pedalling up the curry mile, I inhale the spiced aromas as people knead naan dough, and stir fry, the good food from the land. And, as I weave through Moss Side’s alleyways, I marvel at how local residents have created their own green spaces amongst the cobbles - terracotta pots spilling over with vibrant colours of flowers that have been fed and watered by Gods almighty hand. Lockdown, and the ongoing pandemic, has brought a grief that has weighed heavily at times. Hopping on the saddle, feeling the wind in my face, whilst whizzing through the lanes, has helped to lift my spirits and, at times, I even find myself singing – hopefully not loud enough for anyone to hear! To experience the world afresh in this built up, busy city, is a gift that renews my gratitude for creation. I cannot help but smile, even in the rain – and, in Manchester, there is a lot of rain! Amidst the most challenging of times, this harvest I am deeply grateful to have been able to witness how the brilliance of God’s creation is revealed even here, right on my doorstep, in a place enveloped in brick and concrete.
MUSIC 6 –Creation Sings– Stuart Townend CD Ultimate Collection Rachel:
Perhaps one of the unexpected gifts of this challenging season of pandemic is a chance for those like me, with seeming instant access to the fruits of God’s earth all year around, to think again about how we commit to sustaining that creation. For, if city living has profound advantages for many, and will always be part of life – if we cannot cherish the tender needs of this one small planet, the climate crisis will deepen and we shall walk ever further away from God’s loving plans for us. 
Giles: 
[The World] Creator God, we offer you your world. We pray for your planet, and grieve for what we rich humans have done to it, and continue to do. We tremble at the size of the task that faces us, and all the forces that stand in the way. We ask that you give wisdom to those in power, courage to those who speak to them, and commitment to all of us to change the way we live Lord, in your mercyHear Our Prayer

Giles: [Ourselves] Finally, Creator God, we offer you ourselves: our hopes, our fears, our hang-ups, and our loves. We pray that you use us, as we are, to be co-creators with you of the new Jerusalem Merciful Father, Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.CLOSING LINK AND BLESSING: RM
As we bring our service to a close we gather together all our prayers in the words of the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father, who art in heaven,Hallowed be 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.

This morning we’ve heard stories of hope and honesty. In the midst of the challenges of urban life and a world struggling with pandemic and caring for creation, there remains a harvest of hope. I believe that the promise of God’s holy city, with the tree of life at its centre, offers us a vision of how we can all live, not just in the far future but now. God’s harvest of love waits for us. And may the peace of God Which passes all understandingKeep your hearts and minds In the knowledge and love of God.And the blessing of God almighty,Father, Son and Holy SpiritBe with you and all those whom you love and pray for,This day and always. Amen
MUSIC 7 – How Great Thou Art - Aled Jones & Russell WatsonCD ‘In Harmony’