“The Harvest Is Abundant, But The Laborers Are Few”
When we look at the problems and needs of the world, it can seem daunting. At times, it can be so overwhelming to the point that it stifles us and we are unable to respond in action. Jesus of Nazareth understood this feeling as was told in two Gospel accounts. The Gospel of Matthew recounts Jesus, while about to retreat to take a breather and pray, looking with pity at the crowd demanding his time and attention. Another story was told in the Gospel of Luke which tells of Jesus sending his disciples in two to serve the needs of the community. In both scenarios, Jesus understood that the needs and demands were tremendous. That is why, in both situations, he said, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2). But the difference in Jesus’ attitude was that he did not stop responding in action. He acted and continues to act. He served to the very end, to the point of giving his entire life for the redemption of the world. Why? Because Jesus understood the need and loved the world so much that doing nothing was not an option.
As Church, we are always confronted with “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few”. Let us continue to pray the prayer of service and continue to welcome all, especially, young adults into the community. Let us love them first and foremost. Once they feel loved and find belonging, everything else will fall into place.
As young adults, we strive to find our place in the world. We look for purpose and meaning. It is when we look beyond ourselves and to the needs of others that we come to find what God has called us to do. We are best able to discern our calling and discover our gifts in the context of community.
Let us bridge these two communities together and create something beautiful: The kingdom of God here on earth.
For today’s National Day of Prayer, we invite young adults to include the “Prayer for Service” in their prayers:
Lord, you alone are the source of every good gift,
of the vast array of our universe,
and the mystery of each human life.
We praise you and we thank you
for your great power and your tender, faithfullove.
Everything we are and everything we have
is your gift, and after having created us,
You have given us the greatest of all gifts,
your son, Jesus Christ.
Fill our minds with His truth
and our hearts with His love,
that in His Spirit
we may be bonded together into a community
of faithful, caring people.
In the name and spirit of Jesus,
we commit ourselves to be good stewards
of the gifts entrusted to us,
to share our time, our talent
and our material gifts as an outward sign
of the treasure we hold in Jesus.
Amen.
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We invite all young adults to “Many Hands One Spirit,” our annual day of service, as we live out our call to act and to serve. On May 11, let us share our time and talent to serve the needs of our community. For more information and to register, visit: https://www.dsj.org/mh1s