St Edburg's Church - Bicester

Matthew 9:37-38

 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’

 

I was once told that if you are encouraging a reluctant class of children to comply, you can make headway by using the language ‘thank you for. . . The words ‘Thank you for sitting so nicely’ might result in a sudden improvement in everyone’s posture that may or may not have been ‘nice’ originally.

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Of course, it’s a nonsense to imagine we can manipulate God in a similar way by saying, ‘Thank you God for sending labourers’ and expect to see those labourers rock up out of nowhere (although this could happen). But prayer transforms us. A prayerful attitude of thankfulness gives us a sense of abundance to counter our tendency to see only scarcity.

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At this time of year across the Church of England services are held where Churchwardens are admitted into office for the coming year. In parishes there may seem to be scarcity, particularly where Churchwardens are serving without a second Churchwarden alongside and volunteers for any and every role may be hard to find.

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But gathered together for Visitation Services we see abundance. A church full of committed lay people sent into the harvest, with Churchwardens ‘foremost among laity in the life and mission of the Church in the parish’. In this context, a prayer of thanksgiving to God, ‘Thank you God for sending labourers’ is heartfelt and hope-filled. Our gratitude for the few labourers spurs us on to encourage others to join in the labour. What joy there is when the harvest is safely gathered in. And what joy there is to know we have played our part.

 

Sarah Mortimer