God's Grace, Mercy, and Peace are yours through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!
The text for today's sermon is found in the Gospel reading, Matthew 9:36-38: "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 laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest'".
Today, we see Jesus' compassion. We are told by Matthew that, as Jesus was going throughout the cities and villages of Judea, He had compassion on His fellow Jews. As He went about teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the coming kingdom, He healed diseases and afflictions. He witnessed the great crowds who were harassed and helpless and it moved Him deeply. He had compassion on them.
Matthew even tells us why Jesus was so deeply moved to be gracious to the crowds: they were like sheep without a shepherd. They were being led astray. God's people at that time had failed to gather around the grace of God. The Temple sacrifices were supposed to declare the unearned forgiveness of God for His people. Instead, they had become a system where people could measure their righteousness based on the price of their sacrifice. The Law of Moses was meant to be a guide for God's people as they were set apart from the rest of the world - a holy nation. Instead, the Law had become a ladder of righteousness by which God's people sought to earn eternal life.
God's people had failed. They were led into a false sense of righteousness based on their works. They didn't know God's grace. Those who knew better said nothing. Everyone suffered. The harvest was plentiful. Ready to hear the good news that the Son of God had arrived to reveal God's Kingdom of Grace. But who was going to tell them all?
To this, Jesus says "Pray". Pray earnestly to the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His Harvest. He doesn't tell his disciples to destroy everything or create an entirely new system. He simply tells His disciples to pray. To trust the One who is Lord over His people and will gather them in His time, according to His plan. To pray to the One who can gather His people once again.
We see God's people scattered today as well. Trying to get by in life without Christ. Trying to live by the self-righteousness of the world. Following anything other than Jesus. Living without hope or certainty of salvation in Christ. Scattered and lost in the midst of the ways of the world.
Such a sight can cause us pain. Sometimes we see someone who is lost and remain silent. How many parents get their children baptized and then don't come around until confirmation? How many confirmands have stood before this altar professing their faith, never to darken the doors of a church again? How many of our brothers and sisters in Christ despise coming to the railing to receive Christ's Body and Blood as life-giving food?
What might cause us the most pain is the thought that some of those lost sheep are scattered because of our failure as the Church. Friends. Family. Neighbors. Children. Grandchildren. We shutter the though that, because of our failure, they might become sheep without the Good Shepherd. They might become eternally separated from Christ.
Beloved Church, before this pain drives you despair, remember this: you are not the Lord of the harvest. Jesus shows up to lead and gather in the way that we cannot. Without Jesus, we would ALL be sheep without a shepherd. Every one of us would be lost to the harassment of Satan and the selfishness of the world. We would all be helpless against sin and death. We would be lost forever, if it had not been for Jesus, come to gather HIS Church.
"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us". Jesus is the One who gathers His people to salvation. He gathers to His cross where He accomplishes your salvation by shedding His blood so that you are forgiven. Jesus gathers to His empty tomb where He declares the certainty of your salvation, not just for this world, but for the world to come. Jesus gathers His Church through death, into life because of His great compassion and mercy for you. Even through difficulty and pain. Even through out failures as His beloved people. Even through death.
Jesus is the Lord of the Harvest. He is the One who will gather His Church into eternal life. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His Harvest. Those who will faithfully proclaim and teach the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For our family. For our friends. And trust that, in the end, Jesus will gather HIS Church into HIS Heavenly Kingdom to live forever. Because Jesus is Lord! To Him be all glory, honor, and worship, now and forever! Amen!
May the Peace of God which surpasses all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen!