The Harvest is plentiful

Pentecost 7 (Luke 10:1-11; 16-20) The Harvest is plentiful

The people of God are the instrumentality of our Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation.

The people of God are the church. Sometimes, the church is its own worst enemy.

Recently, an old friend moved into the city from the suburbs. He attended the nearest Episcopal Church. He was highly motivated to like that church since it was within walking distance to his apartment. Sadly, his experience subverted his expectations.

First, although the church appeared stately and wealthy, it had no air conditioning. The heat and humidity were oppressive. Second, although he arrived early and saw the clergy walking about getting ready for the service they did not come up to him to welcome him.

The sermon was political. It presented a point of view that my friend largely agreed with but it had nothing to do with the gospel reading that day and had no message of salvation. Finally, at the coffee hour no one approached him to speak with him.

He sadly concluded that this was not the place he would find the Good News of Jesus Christ.

He was primed and ready to enter into the church community. But, for whatever reason, the church he attended was not ready to receive him.

Jesus sent out seventy of his disciples on a mission. The specifics were unique to that particular mission. The principles of the mission are the universal principles of Evangelism. The principles of evangelism are joy, welcome, and God centered.

The details of evangelism vary in every time and culture. We adjust the timeless truth of Divine Love to local circumstances. Some elements of evangelism remain constant in every time and in every culture.

First and foremost evangelism is Christ centered. At the very least the clergy must be committed to an active and transforming relationship with Christ. Clergy will never be perfect. We must be committed and we must renew our commitment daily.

Second: the message must- must- be Christ centered. I have my point of view on politics, economics and comic books. It is not my call to convince you of my opinions about these things. It is my call and responsibility to draw on my relationship with Christ and my seminary training to proclaim and explain the Gospel.

Third: evangelism is grounded in a community. The basis of Christian community is a welcoming inclusive hospitality. To be a Christian is to be in a transforming friendship with Christ. To be a Christian is to be a member of Christ’s body, the Church. To be a member of the Church is to be open and welcoming to everyone who visits us and who chooses to stay with us.

The minimum requirement for evangelism is Real Presence.

The Real Presence of Jesus for his disciples in the church is the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.

The Real Presence of Jesus for visitors to the church are His disciples; you and me.

The 70 disciples had some good experiences on their mission and some bad experiences. They had some success and they met some opposition. They were also amazed at how the Real Presence of Jesus in their midst manifested in astonishing ways.

AS disciples of Jesus Christ we are all called to be the Real Presence of Jesus Christ to each other and to anyone we meet. That is why it is vitally important we take the time to receive the blessing of Jesus at the altar of sacrifice so that we can be the living blessing to everyone we meet.

The stakes are high. The Harvest is plentiful. The Harvest is no less than the seven billion souls on this planet who desperately  long for Good News.

The Harvest is plentiful beyond imagination. The Harvest is the purpose for the Church in this Age of Evangelism. The Harvest is our Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation in Jesus Christ. The laborers are few.

The laborers are those who draw near to Jesus. They are those who enter into the world of the Harvest with joy and gladness. They are the ones who so value the blessing of the Gospel that they chose to live in a process  of becoming the blessing.

The Harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray therefore, that the Lord of the Harvest, the Lord of Evangelism, the Living Lord Jesus Christ, will so fill you with his Real Presence, that you will become the laborer who enters in the joy and wonder and delight of the Harvest. Pray that you will receive the blessing of Divine love and become the blessing of Divine love. Pray that you will  become Good News for the separated souls of this world.