This isn’t my idea, credit belongs with Fr David Teasdel in Altofts. We were talking about how we were both doing an all age harvest that week in school with 400 children from age 4-11. He said “Easy! BIGATRON” as though that is a satisfactory answer to any harvest question. 

This is tried and tested. A lot. 

The BIGATRON is one of those big opaque boxes from your office with a sign that says BIGATRON. Head to the supermarket and buy veg that comes in different sizes. Cherry tomatoes and beef tomatoes.  Sprouts and cabbages.  Put the big ones inside the BIGATRON and the little ones on the table next to it.  

Forgive me for paraphrasing in short hand but I tend to talk without script – this generally goes on for a lot longer with all sorts of dramatic gestures (benefit of being an RE teacher for five hours a day in my previous life):

Last night I fell and hit my head and came up with this amazing idea for an invention.  It’s called the BIGATRON!  It is an amazing thing!  It will solve all world hunger!  This is the BIGATRON!  It works with one magic word…

I generally at this point ask about magic words. Some of the sweetest. Conversations have happened with 400 kids present about how “please” is a magic word that makes things happen and that “sorry” is a magic word because it makes hurt go away. 

We place the small veg in the box. We chant the magic words….

Bigga bigga bigga bigga BIGATRON!!

And then I pull out the big one. 

I usually have about ten different veg.  Tiny parsnips and giant parsnips. 

It’s a carrot but it’s white!  What’s that all about?

I’m constantly amazed by the number of children who have never seen a parsnip. I digress…

And then invite one of the children to pick an item from the harvest offering to put I the BIGATRON. 

The first time I did this she picked the giant purple quality street.

Magic words. 

Must try harder. 

Rabble rousing from the vicar. 

Ask the child to pull out the big one. 

Sprung. The BIGATRON is not real. 

This is the point where we have the opportunity to explore how there is no magic solution. We are reliant upon the God of creation who made a world that supports life.  Rain falls upon the crops and they grow.  And we are responsible for ensuring that food is fairly distributed to those who need it.  Jesus taught us…

This is a springboard into so many scriptures, so many charities, so many moral dilemmas around good and harvest.  You know what to do. Go and do it in 2016. Sorry I’ve not had chance to blog it earlier.