Genesis 8:20 - 9:3 & Matthew 6:24-34
I'm going to be reflecting on God's blessing this morning. We don't have enough time to explore all the different facets of God's blessing, so I'll mainly be thinking about it in connection with farming.
Plough Sunday – or in earlier times, Plough Monday, is a tradition which goes back to medieval times. Celebrated on the first Monday after Epiphany, it marked the beginning of agricultural work after the twelve days of Christmas.
Back in medieval times the communal village plough was often stored in the parish church over the winter months where some churches kept a votive ‘plough-light’. So, early in January, usually the Monday after Epiphany, the farmers would gather in church to get the plough out of hibernation. The farming year would begin with a special blessing of the plough and the ploughmen in church.
In earlier times when work was scarce in winter, celebrating Plough Sunday was an opportunity to look forward to the time of sowing with the promise of a harvest to come.
The plough was often kept in the church when not in use, so the farmers would gather at church to bring the plough out again. In days when work was scarce in winter, Plough Sunday was a time to give thanks for the growing potential of the land, to bless the plough, the land and the crops, to bless the ploughmen and women of the community, and to pray for a good harvest.
Afterwards the plough would be pulled through the village until it reached the local inn, where everyone would enjoy food & drink, along with dancing and merriment. Then with God's blessing, the support of the whole village and with plenty of food and drink inside them, the ploughmen were ready to start the new agricultural year.
Now of course we don’t live in medieval times. There’s been huge changes in farming practices over the centuries. But farmers still need our support and prayers. Observing Plough Sunday is a great opportunity to celebrate farming and the work of farmers and everyone involved in the production of all the foods we enjoy, to pray for God’s blessing on the land and the coming year's harvest.
We hope that all those who work on the land will sense God's blessing and our support, not just in our surrounding farms and villages, but throughout our nation and indeed the world.
Now more than ever, we need to pray for God’s blessing for those farms and farmers whose crops, stock and animals have been lost, damaged or destroyed by wildfires in different parts of the world; by recent flooding in our own nation and through the ongoing effects of climate change across the globe. God has given us a beautiful and delicate creation. Sadly, human beings seem determined to knock it off balance. We need God’s blessing.
But what is a blessing? I recently read of someone spotting this slogan on a loaf of bread in the supermarket: ‘Give your family the blessing of bran’. That is brantastic! (sorry, couldn’t resist it 
).
We use the word ‘blessing’ to express good fortune, good health, favour, approval and encouragement. It can be a greeting, a wish or a farewell. We often use phrases like 'a blessing in disguise'; 'he or she is such a blessing to me' or 'we wish you every blessing in your new job, your travels, on your birthday' and so on.
It expresses all that we want for other people, and for ourselves, and all that we hope for from God.
And here's the thing - our God is one who loves – longs even – to bless us. Did you know the word 'blessing' or 'blessed' is used over 400 times in the bible? In the Bible, blessing is a word infused with power through which God himself, or one who represents him, brings about health and prosperity and the joy of life to descend upon people, animals and things.
There are lots of verses in the bible that speak of God blessing the land so that there is an abundance of produce. A few examples from the Psalms:
Psalm 67:6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
Psalm 85:12 The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
Psalm 65:9-11
You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.
To bless is to see life not as a purely natural phenomenon, but as the gift of God. All of God’s involvement with his people is characterised by his loving kindness, his love, his grace and his blessing. It is in his nature to bless. Of course this does not mean we have an easy life. Far from it. The reality is that we live in a fallen world.
We don’t live as God intended us to live – in a loving relationship with him, with each other and in harmony with all of creation, being good stewards of all that God has given us.
Nevertheless, God in his great love and compassion for all creation and for us humans, acts to rescue and renew, and continues to bless us. And that’s what we see in our Old Testament reading as he pronounces blessing upon Noah and his family.
The context here is the great flood that we read about in Genesis chapters 6-8 which God brought about as a consequence of the continued disobedience and evil practices of humans. But God rescued Noah and his family, who sheltered in the ark in obedience to God’s commands and were delivered from the floodwaters.
God promises that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter will never cease as long as the earth endures. In other words, the blessing of seasons will ensure the earth yields its crops as human beings tend the land and look after it.
God also blesses Noah and his family. They are to be fruitful and increase in number. They are given stewardship of all plants and animals. Implicit in this blessing is their responsibility to work diligently and care for all of creation so that they might enjoy its fruits and give thanks and praise to God for it. We too are called to be good stewards of creation.
God’s blessing is given for the benefit of all. Sadly, human beings continue to mess things up. But God longs to bless us, and through us others. It is a theme repeated throughout the bible. Remember the story of Abraham. God blessed him and said that through him all nations will be blessed. God’s heart is that those who receive his blessing are in turn a blessing to others.
Jesus spoke of, taught and demonstrated God’s blessing in many different ways. The lives of individuals and whole communities were transformed when they encountered his blessing. The greatest blessing we can receive is to know Jesus and live in relationship with him.
Our new-testament reading is part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is teaching on a whole range of different topics. Our passage is all about not worrying and instead, trusting in the care, provision and protection of a loving God.
You might be thinking, “That’s easier said than done”, and you’re right. We have to be honest and real because there are many things that worry us. It’s no different for farmers. Worry has a way of robbing us of the life Jesus wants for us. But here’s the thing – Jesus knows all about our worries. He wants us to take all our worries to him. He knows; he cares. And he can do something about it. Talk to him about them.
And so, this Plough Sunday, we ask for God’s blessing on farms and farmers in our villages, throughout this land and beyond, and all who work to alleviate the world’s hunger.
We do so in faith and confidence, not in ourselves, but in the overflowing bounty of God, the source of all blessing, who loves us, cares for us and promises never to leave us or forsake us.
We take hold of his promises in the bible and reaffirm our commitment to be good stewards of all that he’s given us, to play our part in praying for and supporting our farmers and also living and caring for his beautiful creation.
Amen.