- Rev. Caroline
Holiday snaps (8): Harvest prayer

From the very beginning, Lord
men and women have tilled the soil
and cultivated plants and trees for food
And today, in our society
in which fruit and vegetables are easily available in supermarkets
people still choose to grow their own
in gardens and allotments,
window boxes and pots

We give you thanks, Lord
for the pleasure to be had
from eating our own crop
and we give you thanks, Lord
that our lives do not solely depend
on a good harvest of our own potatoes
or apples

We pray for farmers and their families
here at home and in other lands
who grow and rear food to nourish us
who must go out in the early morning
and late in the evening
because there is work to do
and your creation to be cared for

We pray for those whose harvest
has been poor this year
especially where disruption has been caused by war
We ask for your wisdom
to be a guiding principle
for those who make the rules
which govern world trade
for those working to improve animal welfare
for those involved in research
into the growing of crops

We make our prayers
in the name of Jesus Christ
the Sower of the seeds of faith
in the hearts of his people
Amen