4^th Sunday after Pentecost C; Lectionary 14 C | July 6, 2025 | Luke 10:1-20 | by Luther H. Thoresen

Note: The initial paragraphs in italics of this sermon might be used as the basis for a Children’s message. If not used that way, one might adapt it as the beginning of the “usual” sermon, or insert part of it later in the sermon…or earlier in the service.

There are two words I’d like to talk about from the gospel reading, “harvest” and “laborer.” Have you heard of a harvest? Do you know what a harvest is? [briefly accept answers] The way I usually talk about a harvest is this: a harvest is when we gather the crops from the land. Around here, that would be harvesting or gathering the corn and beans, and maybe the hay (depending on the farm). From a garden we might harvest tomatoes and potatoes, carrots and lettuce, radishes and green beans, green peas and more.

In the land and time of Jesus, the field crops for harvesting were barley and wheat, from which the people could make bread. Do you like bread? From the vineyards, grapes were harvested, and the people could eat the grapes, or dry them into raisins for later, or to make wine to drink. Do you like grapes or raisins?  From the orchards fruit and nuts like almonds, dates, pomegranates, figs and olives were harvested. Do you like fruit and nuts like that?

Labor is a word that basically means work, not play. Labor is not easy. Do you have chores? Chores are usually labor, and depending on your age, chores might be things like cleaning a room, washing dishes, putting toys away, pulling weeds in the garden or flower bed, digging potatoes or pulling carrots in the garden, feeding cattle, picking eggs, mowing the lawn.  A laborer is someone who does the work. In Jesus’ day, a laborer was often the person who harvested the fields, orchards or vineyards.

When Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few” he was saying in some ways, there’s work to do. I’ll talk about Jesus’ words more in the regular sermon, but for now would you pray with me? God, thank you for bread and grapes and almonds and figs and more. Thank you for the people who labor to harvest them, and those who labor to bring them to our grocery stores. Thank you for the labor we have to do…even if we complain about our chores. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus and his labor on our behalf. Help us in our labors to help others on your behalf. Amen

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest“ (Luke 10:2). With the children, we began talking about harvest and laborers. When we hear, “the laborers are few” we might think that few means “not enough.” When many and few are contrasted, few implies lack and that more is needed. Often when this text is preached, it is uses as a call to seek more “laborers” for the harvest of God’s kingdom. There is certainly validity in that.

However, for today, let’s think about it a little differently. Some of you may recall recruiting commercials for the US Marine Corps a few years ago. What was it? “The few. The proud. The Marines.” In this case, few implies selection, and a few good ones is plenty. Maybe you saw the movie from about 30 years ago called “A Few Good Men.” Jesus is quoted as being selective when he said, “Many are called but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14) There, few implies being special. We could say that these here today, these few are chosen by Christ in and through Baptism. I might say today, “You are chosen; you are special; you are among the few.” So, with a few good ones, the harvest is plentiful and there is work to do. The harvest is plentiful, there is work to do. That is, there are people to be served. Earlier, Jesus sent out the 12, and now in today’s text he sends out 72.

The laborers are few. If we think, “scarcity” we look for more. But, in the text, Jesus sent 72 out to share peace, to cure the sick and proclaim the Kingdom. With these people here at worship this morning, Jesus sends all of us, each one. Timothy Keller is a Presbyterian pastor who has published some books besides serving a congregation. Once he wrote, “There are some needs only you can see. There are some hands only you can hold. There are some people only you can reach.” [repeat the quote]

“…therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  Without asking the Lord to send the laborers, to send us; it is no longer God’s mission. Without asking the Lord to send the laborers, to send us; it becomes “our” mission rather than Gods. In addition, unless God sends us, we are likely to burn out or become self-centered. I’m reminded of the verse from Psalm 127 (v 1), “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” We could rework that for today like this, “Unless the Lord send us into the harvest, we labor in vain.”

“…therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” This is not our harvest, but the Lord’s harvest! If I understand correctly, in the ancient Near East, land owners did NOT work in the fields, orchards or vineyards. Rather, they hired laborers at seedtime and at harvest time. The laborers planted and then brought in another’s harvest, the wheat and barley, the grapes and pomegranates, the almonds and figs, the dates and more. This is true also for us. It is the Lord’s harvest and not ours. It is the Lord’s harvest for which we labor.

I would note that the 72 went out in pairs, probably for support and for safety. They were to share peace, cure the sick, and so forth. They were to serve and proclaim, “The kingdom has come near.” Jesus did not send only professionally trained people. Jesus sent the 72 simply to serve and announce that the kingdom was present, “near,”…whether that announcement was received or not.

Do you get the picture? This is about each of us in our daily living places. This is about each of us in our daily working places (whether we are employed, unemployed or retired). There we are sent to serve others, to bring in the Lord’s harvest. As Tim Keller said, “There are some needs only you can see. There are some hands only you can hold. There are some people only you can reach.”

Each one of us is gifted in our own ways by God’s Spirit. I think of a woman who’s name is Denise. She would be a bit over 75 years of age now. About 15 years ago there was an article about her in the local newspaper of a town where I had served as pastor. I had been her pastor, but what I say here was included in the newspaper. About 40 years ago, when she was in her mid 30’s, she fell, injured one leg and her back. There were serious complications and 2 or 3 nerve diseases developed. For about 35 years now she has spent nearly all of her days in bed, and can only walk for brief times with the use of a special walker. If she walks too long, her one foot turns black (not blue or purple, but black). She lives on minimal income. However, for many years, she would knit and crochet for short periods of time, even though her sensitive hands often crack from the yarn. She made scarves, mittens and caps for several years, and then switched to making small bears out of blue jean material for the VA hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. She does what she can! Yes, she has difficult days living with the nerve damage. Still she found a way to serve in Jesus’ name. Did she inspire me as her pastor? You better believe it! Hopefully she also inspires you.

How might you serve? This is NOT about church programs necessarily. But it is about people serving people. Yes, we need church programs. Might your goal be this? “St Paul’s is a people who serve people.” That is different from “St Paul’s is a church with a lot of programs.” In the months ahead, you will want to continue to find ways to serve the community of [fill in your town] in the ways you do together as a congregation.  Yet, each one of us is called to serve our neighbor – near and far. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

It happened not long ago. There was a man called Joe.¹ He was all nice and clean, and cooled off after a nice swim. Then he saw a man with his two sons trying to push a disabled car up a hill on this hot and humid day. Two voices started yelling at each other inside of him. One said, “Here is an opportunity for you to become involved with someone, to care. You ought to help them push.” The other voice said, “Now that is none of your business. You’ll get yourself all hot and dirty. Let them handle their own affair.” He yielded to the first voice and put his shoulder to the back of the car. The father stuck out his dirty hand and said, “I am very glad that you came along. You had just enough strength added to ours to make the thing go.”

The harvest is plentiful, and you are the few laborers, the special laborers called to labor in the Lord’s harvest! If you know someone, or meet someone pushing a car uphill, pushing life uphill (so to speak), YOU can help in some way to get them over the top of the hill.

Another little tale.² Two teams were playing a baseball game. It was a big, important game, and each player was doing his best to win for his team. The fans for each team were cheering away, hoping that their team would win. Each team was doing so well that it all came down to one play at the end. As the batter hit the ball to the far outfield, everyone knew…if the outfielder caught the ball, the outfield team would win; if the outfielder missed the catch, the infield team would score and win. Everyone held their breath as the ball took forever to soar across the field. The outfielder got in position, set his glove, and caught the ball…then he dropped it. The infield team scored and won. The outfield team lost. The young man who had dropped the ball stood there shaking his head. His coach ran onto the field and began yelling at him. The coach really chewed him out for his mistake. Then the player looked up at his coach, smiled, and said, “Yep, I did my best and it didn’t work. We lost the game. But…it is a game. And we are lucky enough to get to play baseball every day.”

“We are lucky enough to get to play baseball every day.” You and I, we are lucky enough to labor in the Lord’s harvest every day. Amen? “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Today, Jesus says, “I am the Lord of the harvest. I choose you, and call you my special ones, my few, good laborers. I send you out into my harvest. I send you out into my world to serve any neighbor in need. Often I send you two by two in order to provide for your safety and so that you can support each other. I know that some days you will drop the ball. Still, today I am here in word and in water, in bread and wine, in fellowship and among those you serve. Today I am here whenever you drop the ball, to send you out anew. Today I am here to give myself to you as bread for the journey, as food for life. I call you away from a life centered on yourself to a life centered in my love for you and others.” Remember what Pr Tim Keller said? “There are some needs only you can see. There are some hands only you can hold. There are some people only you can reach.”

Among us today, Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask me, the Lord of the harvest, and I will send you. I will empower you, I will direct you into my harvest. Rejoice for I have already written your names in heaven.” Amen

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

©Pr. Luther H. Thoresen, ELCA, STS, retired; thoresenluther54@gmail.com; Grundy Center, IA, USA

¹ This anecdote was published online by the late Pr Tim Zingale. The site, www.dodgenet.com is no longer available. There was not a source citation, and may have been the creation of Pr Zingale, or simply found and shared by him.

² I found this anecdote as part of a Children’s message at https://onthechancelsteps.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/ball/ .