Deacon Brigid Waszczak
Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching… and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and… sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.
—Matthew 9:35-38 (NASB ’95)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
This passage marks a turning point for the apostles. They’ve been observers, watching Jesus teach and heal the curious crowds. Jesus is a one-man-band. But it’s time to call in reinforcements.
The harvest, the ever-expanding crowd, becomes more than one person can comfortably handle. The workers are the apostles, although they don’t yet comprehend this. Jesus remarks that more workers are needed, then directs the disciples to ask “the Lord of the harvest” (God) to add those workers.
In asking the apostles to pray for more workers, Jesus was preparing them to be those workers. The spiritual work they have only watched now requires their active participation. This interaction is their transition from watchers to doers.
My father-in-law was a car guy. He could change oil, replace fan belts and brakes, rebuild carburetors, and replace alternators easily. When he saw a motorist stranded on the highway, he stopped no matter where he was headed even if he’d be late for doing so. He assumed he could help. He was equipped to help. Jesus expected the same response from his apostles—to stop and assist the “distressed and dispirited” wherever they were and not consider them an inconvenience.
We’re equipped to help, too. Evangelism is a scary term for most of us. We fear it means forcefully preaching at or to someone. But we’re all actual evangelists. Our faith informs our behavior. Smiling at the grocery checker, thanking a postal worker, grabbing an out-of-reach item for a shorter shopper, bringing in the neighbor’s trash cans are simple ways we spread God’s love—evangelism—small, Spirit-embodied acts of service we live out that spread love learned from Jesus in the Gospels.
God pushes and nudges me daily whether I’m out-and-about or home in my pjs. I may not fix your car, but I can listen, be present to your need, or respond to your email. God offers regular opportunities to us all. We need only open our eyes and hearts. God’s urging is subtle, sometimes silent, but God whispers to us if we’re attentive.
What do you hear?
—Deacon Brigid