(Sorry this is more than a little late)

‘And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’ Luke 10:2 (ESV)
‘But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.’
James 1:22 (ESV)

We have just celebrated harvest with the front of the church looking wonderful with all the food and produce, the flowers, the nets and fish boxes all creating a wonderful display of God’s good provision. It helped us rejoice in all the good things given by our Lord and to celebrate how he is sovereign over all creation as he brings the seasons and causes the harvest to grow. However on that Sunday morning we also reflected on the fact that if we have food in a fridge, a roof over our head, a bed to sleep in and clean water to drink we are better off than 75% of the world’s population. This is an astounding figure that makes us stop and think. Some will ask where is God in this situation but the Lord may give in abundance however the sinful human nature is to look after oneself. A small number of the world’s population live in great affluence whilst others struggle to feed themselves and their families and we can equally be guilty of looking to our own comforts instead of seeking to help others. There are opportunities, if we take them, to reach people with the love of Christ in very real and practical ways and to make a difference in people’s lives. The gospel is not theoretical, it calls for us to act, to be doers not just hearers. What does that mean for us each Sunday as we leave our churches and live within our communities? Yet there are many places where people are poor in material terms but are rich in the greatest way possible in that they know and love the Lord and rest upon his Word. We may not experience famine in this country in the terms of the crops but we are seeing that fewer people are hearing and responding to the gospel message. Just as God brings the seasons so we pray for a season within our land where as the seeds of the gospel are sow then the Lord would be pleased to water them and so through the Spirit bring many to faith in Christ. Will we be the Lords labourers sowing seeds so that in time and by God’s will there will be a great harvest, will we be doers of the word and not simply hearers? May the Lord continue to bless you in your endeavours for the kingdom.

Every Blessing
Gordon