New Year. New Beginnings.

Now after this, the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them in pairs ahead of him to every city and place where he himself was going to come. And he was saying to them, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Go! Behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybelt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one along the way. And whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this house.“

Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is served to you and heal those who are sick, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.“

(Luke 10:1-5, 8-9)

Luke paints a rich scene in this passage of Jesus commissioning 72 of his followers to go out to the surrounding area and to prepare those living there for his coming. Can you imagine being a part of this group? With whom will you be paired? How will things go?

Jesus is very specific in his instructions to these followers. They are to go certain places, and they are to do certain things. The instructions are meant for that particular time and place.

Sometimes, in our journey of faith, we may feel that it is not clear what we are to do, where we are to go, how we are to act. The Lord, we believe, has not given us clear instructions, and consequently, we may wind up doing very little.

Yet the harvest is plenty, and the laborers are few. Are all of the food pantries in your area well-stocked and overflowing? Are all of the elderly people who live near you well cared for? Are all of the children in your area well-clothed, well-housed, and well-fed?

As Jesus has said in this passage, the harvest is plentiful. Are you one of the laborers who can be counted upon?

Our prayer today:

Our Lord and Father, it is clear what you want us to do in your name. Give us the eyes to see and the will to do what you would have us to do on this very day. Amen.

This devotion was written by Jim Stovall and read by Susan Daves.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.