Harvest Time

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:1-12 ESV). An interesting story is told about a notorious 19th-century criminal named Charles Peace, who was arrested and sentenced to the gallows for his crimes. On the morning of his death, as he made his way to his execution in Leeds, England, a prison chaplain who had been assigned to him walked along nearby, casually reading out loud. When Peace asked the chaplain what he was reading, he answered, "The consolations of religion." Outraged that this chaplain could give so heartless a presentation, Peace reportedly turned to the chaplain and told him, "Sir, if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worthwhile living, just to save one soul from an eternal hell like that!" I wonder whether we really believe the things that we say we believe? Our reading today is a directive from Jesus that we pray for laborers to be sent into the harvest that is ready. In my experience the more I pray for laborers, the more I become one. It is not the act of preaching that makes me a laborer. It starts with caring. When we care about the welfare of others, it ought to take us to a place where we get involved in their lives through works of encouragement and support. This will always bring us to a point where we can share the motivation for our caring. I hope you will be encouraged to do much more than merely read the “consolations of religion” to those you meet in your journey through life. See every person in their journey. They all have a point of need that God has already equipped you to meet. There really are no “casual” meetings with others. They are planned in the mind and heart of Christ. Let’s get into the harvest!