When I am travelling, one of my great delights when people ask me about my Parish, is to tell them that many are gamblers and quite a few are dependant on opiates. It is a good line, as they look at me and think that I am working in an area like King's Cross or Fortitude Valley. And if I was to ask for money to continue in this work, they would happily give to support it. But when the reality is explained, they don't want to know. For you see, the attitude is, that life here in the country is easy. We are portrayed as being simple folks, in need of the intelligence of the city to survive.

Take for example the series - A Country Practice - The heros are the city folk, the Police, the Doctors, Nurses and Vets and the country people are typified by Cookies and the Bobs and the Esme Watson's or the corrupt Councillor Muldoon's. And this image has stereotyped the country for a generation, and continues as the series is repeated. And it is a comfortable one for the city, giving them the excuse to feel superior and ignore the Bush.

Or the environmental movement. The prominent Doctor who lives occasionally in our Parish and talks about Green issues. Go and have a look as his place and see how many trees he has planted over the last twenty years. - and then look at Land Care and our local farmers and what they have done. Image in this world we have created is everything.

The reality is, that although it is the country, that is the preferred image of Australians, when we describe who we are - for the most part, they prefer not to know and not to hear or feel the pain. And the sad thing, is the church also thinks the same way. We are dominated by the thinking from the cities, and faith is articulated in theologies and words. In the country faith is planting a seed. Take for example the images of Heaven - in Genesis it is a garden, but by the time John writes the revelation, Heaven is seen as a city without walls. I have spent this last week in the city and it was not heaven. Heaven is here where we are.

The idea of celebrating at the time we plant, is not just an excuse for a party, but a reminder of our intimate relationship here on the land, with our creator God and in faith to ask him to bless us with the harvest. I am not saying that this is something new, but rather to liturgically proclaim and define our faith. Liturgy is the servant of the church to remind us of our faith principles. We do not celebrate Christmas as a birthday party for Jesus, but rather as the reminder of the meaning of his birth. So too, as we plant, then let us be reminded of the great act of faith that this is. Let us not allow the city dominated church to set our agenda but to use our church year to remind us of our faith and to strengthen us in practice.

So this then is a festival about faith…

Perhaps it doesn't occur to you think that the farmer should be symbol of the person of faith - normally it would be a monk or a member of the clergy or a missionary, but the farmer is the one I prefer. Perhaps you need to think about this. Or perhaps you have never been allowed to think in this way. Our church proclaims that when you cross this threshold six times in a year, then you suddenly have a faith. Reality, when you entrust your life and livelihood to the uncertainties of nature, then you have faith, whether you come to church or not. This was the understanding of those who pioneered this country. Churches and chapels were built not to define faith, but to affirm it.

From today then, take the reminder that as we work the land, we are in partnership with our creator God and affirm that each day.

Our readings this morning, although talking about planting, and harvest, talk about the other great partnership with God. This is the partnership between us and God, in bringing people into right relationship with him through the personal knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ. We are not just here to worship or to give thanks, but to take time to prepare ourselves to proclaim our faith to the world. Each of us in our daily living are called to be Ambassadors for Christ. We are called to not only live in a good relationship with God, but draw others to him as well. For many, our prime focus is our family, but it is also for those with whom we work, those whom we meet at the saleyards or the show. We are called to sow the seeds of faith as much as physical seeds, and in the same way that God gives physical growth to Potatoes and Peas and Triticale and poppies, so he will do so to the seeds of faith as well. You know the deception that there is after the sowing that for a while the paddock is still bare, but as the seeds germinate and grow, so does faith, perhaps unseen for a time but nevertheless it is still there.

As a church, we are to sowers of seeds of faith and trusting in God to bring the growth.

Perhaps is the point to leave off at and leave you with an image to think about. In the sowing of faith where are you. Are you the ground that is prepared for sowing? or the seed that is germinated? Or the plants growing up? Or perhaps you are ready for the harvest to give more seed to be sowed? Often it is not that we don't have faith, but that we don't have the language to express it. May God help us to see our faith as we wait for harvest.

AMEN.