Reflecting on Scripture: ‘The Harvest is Plentiful!’

It’s fall in many places right now—colors, crops, leaves falling. Such beauty and plenty seem to generate spontaneous responses of awe and gratitude, even from those who don’t consider themselves spiritual. As one of my neighbors explained last night at our book club, “I just had to stop and look at the bright yellows against the blue sky and take it all in, it was breath-taking.”

In our Go Local signature passage, verse two begins with this statement: “The harvest is plentiful.” Perhaps this is an invitation to pay attention to where we are and what’s around us here and now. If you have walked through a ripe apple orchard, got on your knees in a vegetable garden to help your neighbor or driven by acres of corn fields or canola, then you know our God is a God of abundance and the harvest is plentiful–you might also be aware that when the harvest comes there is a LOT of work to do and often the laborers are few! Help is needed. It’s a cry for “all hands on deck!”

What if Jesus was looking out over the hills ripe with ancient olive and fig trees, the fields of wheat and barley, the vineyards drooping with grapes? What if Jesus despaired for that beauty and abundance falling to the ground because there weren’t enough hands willing to get dirty and backs willing to work? What if Jesus was sending his followers to actually join in with the socio-economic life of the community, to labor alongside the ordinary, everyday people, living among, “eating and drinking what was set before them” and “deserving their pay”? What if God’s people are sent to participate in the lives of their neighborhoods and in this way point to the kingdom of God come near?

How might we join in with the life of our neighbors this harvest season, receiving and sharing the blessing of God’s provision and giving thanks to the Lord of the harvest?

Written by Karen Wilk, Resonate Global Mission’s Go Local Catalyzer

Want to learn more about sharing the gospel with neighbors? That's what Resonate's Go Local is all about! Learn more at www.resonateglobalmission.org/golocal