All About Juvenile Harvest In Celestial Church Of Christ

The time of juvenile harvest is a period of celebration and happiness in Celestial Church of Christ, worldwide especially among the children. In CCC, juvenile harvest is celebrated the first Sunday of June of every year.

What is juvenile?  A juvenile is the young one, a child, having the characteristic of being young. What is harvest?  Harvest is simply the yield (product), gathering of the ripened crop. Putting it together, harvest is the period to gather the ripened ones. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is time for everything under the earth and a purpose for it. There is time to reap, and a time to sow, a time to plant, and a time to harvest. The harvest is a time to gather the products from what has been sown, or to gather the yield from what has been planted.

In CCC, all the children are called eso (fruit), meaning they are having a mark of fruitfulness, to their parents and also to God. God expects us to be fruitful, and as the best of all fruits, just like the offering of Abel. God instructed the people of Israel to bring the first fruits and best of all yields to him. If your child does not have the seeds of God germinated in him, he cannot become a fruit of honour to the lord. It is very important to present the children to God just as Hannah presented Samuel. Many parents do not like their children coming to church or participating in activities, yet they derail the gift of God in those wonderful children

Every child is peculiar and has a distinct angel working with them. It is very important to love them and lead them to knowing God. I learnt two weeks prior to the harvest, the angels of juvenile harvest are around the premises and will leave two weeks after. God usually send angels of fruitfulness for the barren, angel of children, angel of joy and angel of good tidings at this very time that’s why it’s very important for us to be in spirit at this time, and not to maltreat, or chasten any child too much,, rather, we should love, encourage and care for them like Jesus did.

Luke 1:26 made us realize that in the sixth month, angel Gabriel visited Virgin Mary with good tidings and good news. This supports the Celestial culture of celebrating the juvenile harvest in the sixth month. It is a season of fruitfulness, and favor, a period when the barren is remembered and favored with glorious children, where angels of joy, visit many people. But to be able to receive the blessings, we have to be in spirit, especially with the children. It’s a good thing to make them happy on the juvenile harvest. Anyone who rejects a child has lost the Kingdom of Heaven, because theirs is the Kingdom of God  and anyone who misleads a child, is better a millstone be hanged on his neck and drown in the middle of the ocean.

God values, respects and loves little children. They are of pure in heart; they live freely without grudges or issues. You will see two children fight this minute, the next minute, they are playing again. They live a life of no worries. It is important to have a childlike quality and approach to life to be able to understand the Kingdom of God. Juvenile harvest is the period you are expected to present your child to God almighty, as he had decreed all the first fruit are mine. God loves to be close to children and to embrace them in his bosom, because they live simply, innocently and cheerful. The children are so precious in the eyes of God that he will descend to play with them just like he does with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Our song in CCC says, E je komode, ko wa o, eje komode ko wa, jojolo, omo Kekere jojolo, awon lore eledumare, eje komode ko wa. Children are precious in the sight of God. Matthew 18:1-6, Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:48 lay the foundation of this. It is important to say please do not offend a child, or cause them to sin, God would never be happy if we do this.  Juvenile harvest is the period the children are given a chance to prepare for the future. The service is a service of grace. Everything is anchored and officiated by the children. Some parishes wear regalia and tie loins for the children but I don’t think that is necessary or compulsory. It’s our own children day in celestial church. Juvenile harvest promotes celestial culture and heritage when you see what our children are capable of and so gifted to do… Then you begin to appreciate the lord and pray for a child that can be useful for God like Samuel. You will see the collective efforts of teachers and supportive parents to model a child useful and glorious to God.

Juvenile Harvest is a period that shows the responsibility of children to parents, parents to children, children to God, parents to God, to the society at large. Jesus Christ was a model of a good child of God of which every child is expected to emulate. He was respectful and obedient to his parents. We are blessed with wonderful children and bright ones in celestial Church with Music, Bible and many more. We are the Levitical order of Phinehas zealous for God, we are like Daniel, and Solomon.

A typical example of tolerance in juvenile harvest, there was a particular barren woman in the church, she happened to be in the food committee for the juvenile harvest that year, and has been praying profusely. Then the lord visited her in the form of three children, Somalia looking like, torn garment, came to ask for food, but she reacted badly and drove them away. The children left and were not be found again. The three children, amongst them, one was the lord himself, and the other where the two children God wanted to give her a gift, in form of twins, but she chased them away.

Juvenile harvest is a time to be in spirit, show love to everyone, especially little children, buy gifts for them, make them happy, lead them to the way of God and strengthen their foot in him. Juvenile harvest laid the foundation for many great celestial youth today.

 DRAWBACKS OF JUVENILE HARVEST       

During the Bazaar sales, we buy guns, balls, toy-cars for our children but we never think to buy Bible, Hymnbook, order of service for them and yet we want to lead them to the Lord.

We don’t have a portion in the harvest programme to educate them the reason by we celebrate the harvest. The harvest is to remind us that one day, we are all going to be harvested; our fruit is our actions, characters, worship and Service. The great harvester is Jesus Christ. As happy we are, and how much we celebrate, this should always be at the back of our mind…… The picture of Judgement day and the kingdom of Heaven.

CHARACTER DURING JUVENILE HARVEST

Bad character or attitude could spoil or ruin a great thing. We need to exhibit patience, tolerance, and love, during the juvenile harvest. Let us walk in the spirit because the lord is always present in every juvenile harvest. You might not come in the form we are expecting. The Holy angels of harvest are present to reward record and restore. So much blessings on the juvenile harvest but we have to be in spirit, I mean spiritual direction and carefulness to get those blessings.

If you are a barren, come to the juvenile harvest, done once in a year, it’s a great Shiloh just like the days of Hannah, pour out your heart to God, love the children and I assure you, you will burst into joy.

It’s so painful we miss the blessings in the Bazaar sales as well, you will find only few people buying the Bazaar, and we have forgotten God doesn’t owe anyone. If you do business with God, you will never lose but multiply and increase.

To the parents, do not flog and maltreat any child during the juvenile harvest period so you won’t incur the wrath of God. If you derive a child of happiness on that day, God will also derive your own happiness. Many parents have put excess fear onto their children, instead of loving them, embracing them and teaching them. Nobody is saying you shouldn’t chasten your child or spare the rod, but do it in love. Many parents prefer their children doing nothing on that day. If those children miss the ticket of Heaven, you will be held responsible. The spirit of God is always present in every juvenile harvest. That’s the testimony. He embraces the children, gives them wisdom, understanding and a marvelous spirit. The Yoruba will say, Isumoni lan fi mo ise eni, when the children are not brought close to God, how can they know him. The children exhibit what their parents do. They are a reflection of their parents. A parent that hates church, the children will hate the church too.

It’s so painful to see many Celestial Church children and glory, who have witnessed the power of God in this fold, leave the church all of a sudden. We read Deuteronomy 28, for our children but we don’t teach them or remind them about it. We have forgotten what Joshua 1:8. Many prominent Celestian children have left the church to seek what is not lost. We have not taught them about celestial church, the heritage of God.

In conclusion, juvenile harvest is a season of fruitfulness, and blessing, a period of divine visitation. To my children in CCC, I sing, “We are Celestians, hope of tomorrow, the future leaders, fashioned for his works”.  Endeavour to love a child, embrace a child, encourage a child, educate a child, empower a child, and enrich a child in this season. Do not enslave, expose endanger a child. Children are the heritage and friends of God. Lead them to know God.

-Cape Elder Brother Tola Adele