Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he 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.’
‘Our father…’ – that’s how the Lord’s Prayer is supposed to start. But here in Matthew 9 we find one of the Lord’s other prayers. It’s different, but equally important. It reminds us that God is in the business of mission, that his church is called to be a people in mission. So we are called to pray for workers in God’s field. I don’t think it’s just a prayer for more Vicars – may the Lord save us from that!! It’s much more radical, it’s about workers who will acts as shepherds for the crowds and the people. In your street, your area, your work place, your club there are people who need God’s compassion and his guidance. Perhaps you are his labourer in your corner of the field.
So let’s pray this prayer today. As we see the crowds in our city let’s look on them with compassion, not fear. As we go about London and Walthamstow, let’s pray that God would meet the harassed and helpless. On Monday evening the church council endorsed a plan to try and look at how our church can help people caught in debt and financial problems. It’s a great initiative to meet the harassed and the helpless at their point of need. Pray for it (more news will follow).
Of course prayers like this are dangerous. Because as you cry to God for his action, he may ask you to start working in your area.
Pray for leaders for our ministries, pray for all our church to consider how we are responding to God’s call for service, and pray for our attitudes to our city and community may be the same as Jesus.
O Lord our God,
Grant us grace to desire you with our whole heart;
that so desiring, we may seek and find you;
and so finding, may love you;
and so loving, may hate those sins from which
you have delivered us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All
Amen.
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