Third Sunday after Pentecost 2026 [Proper 11]
EXODUS 19:2-8a; PSALM 100; ROMANS 5:1-8; MATTHEW 9:35-10:8
ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest
It does seem that Jesus, at least the Jesus of the Gospels, never actually smiles or laughs. He did speak of joy—in John he speaks of his joy, and his hope that this joy might be complete in his disciples; Luke says that Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit, too— but we don’t have it anywhere said, “and Jesus smiled,” or “and Jesus laughed.”
I do think, though, that Jesus must have had some kind of a sense of humour. And it seems to me that we get a glimpse of that in our gospel this week. Jesus says “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.’”
We can imagine the disciples dutifully praying for labourers, for more people to work with Jesus on God’s mission of healing. And can’t we relate, don’t we all wish that someone would just go and get the job done; and so we can imagine the disciples dutifully praying, ‘yes Lord, send us labourers to go out into the harvest; yes Lord, send us some people to do this very important work; yes Lord, please, we could sure use some help down here.” We can relate because isn’t this so often true for us in the church? It always seems that there is more stuff to do than we have people to do the stuff.
It does seem though that Jesus is kind of setting up the disciples, though, right? Because as soon as Jesus says to the disciples, “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into the harvest,” and just as soon as the disciples presumably prayed to the Lord, ‘Lord, send us labourers please,” Jesus doesn’t sit back with his arms behind his head, with the disciples puttering around and waiting; instead, Jesus answers the disciples’ prayer, the prayer he told them to pray, immediately telling them: ‘ok, the Lord has answered your prayer for people to help with the work; and those people are you.’
Right after the prayer for more help around the place, Jesus “summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.” Immediately after Jesus tells the disciples to pray, Jesus tells the disciples that they themselves are the answer to their own prayer.
We can imagine the disciples turning to one another, and with astonishment saying to one another, ‘oh no but we thought someone else would do it.’ ‘You thought the answer to your prayer was someone else,’ says Jesus. ‘But the answer to your prayer is you.’
Is there a lesson here for us? I want to say “maybe?”. Yes, there is lots of work to do, and the answer to getting that done might be for you to respond to what Jesus is calling you to do; and I would gently suggest that we perhaps ought to be a little less concerned with what we think Jesus is calling someone else to do.
I hesitate though with this lesson because the people who most often hear and respond to this sort of encouragement are often the people who are already doing a lot! But it does seem that Jesus, upon seeing the great need of the crowd, and having “compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd,” Jesus does call on all of the twelve, and sends each of them out to care for the harassed and the helpless, to cast out unclean spirits, and to cure disease and sickness, and to proclaim the Good News that “the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
But I also want to say “maybe” about this lesson because it might be that you are among the harassed and the helpless; maybe you are in need of healing; maybe you need not to proclaim the good news, but rather to hear the good news that the kingdom of heaven has come near. I’ve certainly been there; I am no stranger to burnout, to sickness, to feeling harassed and helpless, and there are certainly times when I need of the good news proclaimed to me. There have certainly been times when I’ve need the healing of God through the work of the church. And if you are among he harassed and the helpless, lean not so much, right now, into what you can do for others; lean into this, and hear this: in Jesus, the kingdom of heaven has come near; Jesus, the one who reconciles us to God, and to one another, has a word for you: you are forgiven; you are loved; you are reconciled; and you are welcome here and into his kingdom.
There’s a bit more, though, to say. I spoke briefly two weeks ago about what it is to be made in the image of the Triune God, and that the fullness of life for all people is found in both giving and receiving, because God as Trinity is three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—eternally giving and receiving to and from one another. And as we recognise the ways we are made in the image of a God always giving and receiving, we find the shape of a life well lived in giving and receiving as well. We heard two weeks ago that members of the downtown community helped us with the replanting of the flowers in the Memorial Garden; this seems to me such a good example of the way we grow in dignity, not just by giving, and not just by receiving, but by giving and receiving from one another. We give shelter on our grounds; and we receive help with maintaining the grounds. This is one of the ways we grow into the divine life: through a ministry shaped by both giving and receiving.
This brings me close to a conclusion today, and I’ll finish up by saying two things. First, on a personal level, simply giving all the time, and not receiving, is not the fullness of a human life made in the image of the Triune God. If you are giving, giving, and giving—it is not only ok, but deeply human to slow down to receive kindness, or help, or a good word. The same goes, too, with those of us who are in a season of receiving help, or kindness, or a word of encouragement. Give a thought to how you might step into a life of giving, too, and through learning to give—of your time, of your wealth—because to both receive and to give is to take a step into the fullness of the divine life, a divine life that is brought to fullness in both receiving and in giving.
Second, I say this on a day when we will discuss the future of St. John’s, and some of our hopes and plans for financial sustainability as we imagine how to care for a building already given to us, and ultimately how what has already been given to us can be given again and leveraged for ministry. Leveraging what we have for ministry is not just a matter of giving, but also a matter of receiving—the community’s help in terms of grants, or even in rent. We don’t do this alone, but in different sorts of partnerships with the communities around us. This is part of receiving from others. And ministry for us will entail both giving to others and receiving from others.
This is not just a practical matter. For us together, as a community doing ministry, is to give and to receive, and is the pattern of the divine life taking shape for us as a congregation.
This is, after all, the lesson learned by Jesus’s disciples. Disciples of Jesus naturally want to receive God’s own healing in Christ; we want a word from him; we want to continue to grow into wellness. But Jesus tells us, ‘you have received, and will continue to receive, good things from me. So receive from me what heals you; and now, give away to others what you have received from me. For in this giving and receiving you will be whole.’
And as we do so, as we receive good things from the God who has made all things well, and as we give, sacrificially, from the gifts we have received, we do so because it is in both giving and receiving that we grow into the fullness of the divine life given to us in creation, and given again in the Jesus who is making all things well: and in this,“The kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Angus Sinclair was appointed Director of Music of St. John the Evangelist on February 1, 2023. Having graduated in 1981 (Honours B.Mus.) in organ performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, he went on to distinguish himself as a church musician, recitalist and accompanist touring in both Canada and the UK. For over 40 years Angus has served parishes and congregations throughout Southwestern Ontario as director of music. He experiences his present appointment to St. John’s as a welcome homecoming, both spiritually and musically.
As our parish musician, he provides both support and leadership so that a variety of parish programs can find musical expression and attract participation. When our handbell choir is in season, he is one of our ringers. At parish dinners, he provides popular piano music for the guests to dine by. For both worship services and concerts, he will rehearse and accompany vocal and instrumental soloists from our congregation on piano, organ, or even accordion.
Angus Sinclair was appointed Director of Music of St. John the Evangelist on February 1, 2023. Having graduated in 1981 (Honours B.Mus.) in organ performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, he went on to distinguish himself as a church musician, recitalist and accompanist touring in both Canada and the UK. For over 40 years Angus has served parishes and congregations throughout Southwestern Ontario as director of music. He experiences his present appointment to St. John’s as a welcome homecoming, both spiritually and musically.