My dear Friends.

Imagine a very old church building at harvest time. Harvest gifts are all around the building, on window-ledges, round the pulpit, in the church porch and the biggest and best display is around the large stone font. However, you can't see all this because it is 200a.m. on a Sunday morning and its dark and quiet.

Then suddenly there is a voice.
'I do wish we apples were right in the middle of this display. After all it's quite clear that we apples are the most important'.
'No you are not' came the reply from the other fruit, vegetables, tins, packets and flowers around the church.

'Yes we are, people love a nice juicy apple, and 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away''

At this the tomatoes spoke up.
'But people also like us. Freshly picked with our lovely smell, a pinch of salt and a crusty loaf and butter, we are the best'.

That was too much for all the tins.
'No you are not. Both you apples and you tomatoes sooner or later go rotten, whereas we remain in tip top condition for ages. How useful we are, we ought to be in the centre'.

It was now the turn of the packet of teabags.
'What nonsense you are all speaking. Where would people be without that early morning cup of tea, and Vicars would never cope if they were not offered a cup of tea when visiting. A cup of tea is so important in the home, factory and office. We ought to be in the centre'.

Then the flowers spoke up. They were in fact in the centre of the display.
'We are here because we look so lovely!'

Everyone else jeered.
'Looks, that's all you are good for and you don't last long. In fact you are pretty useless. People can't eat you'.

The flowers sprung to their own defense.
'But people look at us and feel better. People send flowers to those in hospital or unwell at home. Flowers are given on birthdays and anniversaries and most people have gardens with flowers in them. We are very important.'

The arguments continued until they were all so exhausted that they fell asleep and all was quiet again.

Suddenly a key was heard in the church door and people started arriving for the Family Service. Very soon the church was full and people lustily sang the harvest hymns. In his sermon the Vicar told them a story about all the harvest produce arguing. Each thought it was the most important and the Vicar commented.
"What a silly thing to do because each tin, packet, vegetable, fruit, flower and so on is important. Each and every one has an important part to play in the ongoing life of us human beings.
Now, of course, some people do prefer a juicy apple to a pear. whereas others much prefer grapes and what is true with respect to fruit is also true of vegetables, and all the other harvest produce. It is also true that while we eat fresh fruit and vegetables either from the garden or shop, we also have tinned fruit and vegetables in the total life of a family home'.

On hearing this the harvest produce that had argued so strongly that past night began to feel rather sheepish but the Vicar went on to say
'We human beings can be like those arguing harvest gifts. We too argue over silly things. Who is the most important. Who should do this and that and why didn't I get asked. We too get jealous, upset and hurt. We too can be proud and selfish.

However, God made us all, loves us all and in his wisdom we are all different. We have different gifts and abilities, different experiences and while one is good at one thing, another person is just right for some other role or situation in the ongoing life of the church and the community. Sure some are 'out the front' but such people are not more important than others who quietly get on with the work which is not always noticed but is equally important.

Wouldn't it be boring if instead of all the variety of harvest goods we only had say apples. And wouldn't it be boring if instead of all of us with such variety of gifts, abilities, attitudes and experiences, you were all like me! So let us thank God for variety and let us thank God for each and every one of us and let us worship work and witness for the glory of God and the benefit of a spiritually hungry world'.

God bless you
Yours sincerely

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