Sharpen your Sickle
10 July 2018
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.
The image of Jesus travelling ‘through all the towns and villages’ lead me to imagine a similar tour by some of Jesus’ modern-day Australian disciples through the towns and villages of rural New South Wales.
What if we launch a mission, a travelling roadshow of passionate Spirit-filled believers making a joyful noise with some cranking Jesus music, proclaiming with great confidence the right now reign of God breaking in, healing the sick and setting the emotionally and spiritually captive free through the power of God. Think old-time revival tent backed up with the added fire power of the Eucharist, adoration of the blessed sacrament and sacramental confession. Well, what’s stopping us? The usual suspects: comfortability, ‘busyness’, apathy and unbelief. It seems to me that Jesus feels pretty much the same about the many people in Australia who have no knowledge of God as he did about the ‘crowds’ in Galilee.
And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’
Now, perhaps more than ever, it is time to hear the call of the Lord of the harvest to take up our sickles and get to work. What can you do to advance the evangelising mission of His Church today?