The Harvest Is Ready… Mission Fields Are Ripe!

Fall has arrived! Cooler temps overnight, trees turning colors all around us and the sounds of geese flying overhead are all signs of the changing seasons. Harvest is upon us with farmers in the fields, combines running, and grain trucks filling the roads. Whenever I think of harvest and fall, I can’t help but think of mission work. Some churches have their mission festivals in fall. I believe this is because Jesus connects mission work with harvest. Jesus told his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”(Mat. 9:37–38) Then Jesus proceeded to send his disciples out to share the news that “the kingdom of heaven is near!” (Mat. 10:7).

Hand-in-hand with mission work is thanksgiving. Harvest/fall is a time to see the hand of God and all the blessings he continues to shower upon us. As we consider the kingdom of heaven and Jesus, we are reminded of the gift of eternal life that Jesus gives us that is so certain! As disciples of Jesus, we too have a powerful message that can change hearts. We know the love of our God that sent his son Jesus to cover our sins, die our death and give us eternal life! We have the message of life that all people need living in this dying world. Yes, Jesus says to you and me, “Open your eyes and see that the harvest is ready.” Pray for workers! Pray for the souls around you, especially those that do not know Jesus. And open your eyes for Jesus to open opportunities to share the love of Jesus with them.

What do you share? Tell them that you are not afraid to die because you will go to heaven. Tell them how you know Jesus loves you and the world, which includes anyone you speak to, since they are part of the world (John 3:16). Tell them what it means to know you have forgiveness before God. Tell them how God the Father says you are holy in his sight (Colossians 1:22). Tell them about how you know the gift of grace which your God has given you by faith, faith which points to God’s love for you. (Ephesians 2:4-9). Tell them about how Jesus has told you he has a place prepared for you in heaven and that he has made clear that he is “the way, the truth and the life!” (John 14:1-6 and 2 Corinthians 5:1). You know God’s voice, he has spoken these words to you in his word, the Bible. Share the certainty that you have by faith and confess these simple truths.

As a pastor, I find it is such a comfort to be able to share these words with those that are facing death. I get to remind them that Jesus lives and walked out of the tomb so we would know he is God and his promises for us are true. Yes, we will rise!! We have eternal life in Jesus!

As I was working on this article, I happened to see on my Facebook page a note about mission work to the Sudanese. What a memory that brought back. At the end of December 2018, just after Christmas, I was called to the hospital in St. Cloud. A young man was on his deathbed after having been hit by a car. His parents had come from Washington state and wanted a WELS pastor. As I got there, I was met by another pastor, Rev. Peter Burr from Omaha, Nebraska. Many friends and family of the couple had come to support the parents as their son passed away. What a comfort to be able to share with them Jesus’ promises. There in the hospital, we mourned together, prayed together and took comfort in the promises of Jesus. The father of this young man was Simon Duoth. The following May Simon was able to graduate from the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) through our Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He is now 2 commissioned as a missionary in Washington to share the gospel of Jesus with South Sudanese souls that live there. How precious it is to know we are all a part of the family of God!

My friends, open your eyes to see the mission field all around you. Give thanks to your Lord for the peace and certainty that Jesus gives you. Pray for workers that the Lord raises up to share the message of Jesus in areas where we are not able to go. Celebrate our living Lord Jesus that is still working to bring souls to know his love. And when you have opportunities, share the love of Jesus with others.

To find out more about the work the Lord has opened up to the South Sudanese, check out: wels.net/Sudanese. To learn more about Simon Duoth and his commissioning, check out: wels.net/south-sudanese-missionarycommissioned/. For more mission stories go to: wels.net/facesoffaith.