Come Labor On
SUMMARY
In this sermon drawn from Luke 10, Pastor Lori invites the congregation to hear God's call on their lives as laborers in a plentiful harvest. Jesus sends out 70 disciples with urgency, instructing them to travel light, offer peace, and trust that God will provide. Pastor Lori emphasizes that the harvest represents the vast number of people who do not yet know God's love, forgiveness, and the joy of belonging to a faith family. Rather than sitting as spectators, believers are called to be active participants in the community of faith.
Pastor Lori reframes evangelism away from uncomfortable or coercive approaches, instead painting a picture of joyful, everyday acts of service and invitation. From greeting at the door to singing in the choir, from writing an encouraging letter to sharing a meal with a grieving family, every believer has a unique gift that no one else can replicate. The sermon also reminds us that God's family is always bigger and more expansive than we imagine, and that as new people join the harvest, we ourselves are changed and stretched into greater love and maturity.
INTRO PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we come before You today grateful for the gift of belonging to Your family. As we open Your Word together, we ask that You soften our hearts and open our eyes to the harvest You have placed around us. Remove any preconceived ideas or fears that might hold us back, and replace them with the joy and courage that comes from knowing You. Speak to each person in this group in the way they most need to hear You today. May this time together draw us closer to You and to one another. In Jesus' name, Amen.
ICE BREAKER
What is one small act of kindness someone did for you that you still remember to this day?
KEY VERSES
QUESTIONS
Jesus tells His disciples that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Where do you see a 'plentiful harvest' in your own neighborhood, workplace, or community?
Pastor Lori encouraged the group to set aside uncomfortable or negative ideas about evangelism. What images or experiences come to mind when you hear the word 'evangelism,' and how might reframing it as joyful participation change your perspective?
The 70 disciples returned with joy even though Jesus had warned them they were going out like lambs among wolves. What do you think made the difference between fear and joy in their experience?
Pastor Lori listed many practical ways to be a laborer in the harvest, from writing letters to singing in the choir to visiting someone who is homebound. Which of these resonated most with you, and why?
Jesus instructed the disciples to wipe the dust off their feet when people rejected them and to leave judgment to God. How do you personally handle rejection or indifference when you try to share your faith or serve others?
The sermon pointed out that God's family is always bigger and more expansive than we imagine, and that even our enemies might find a place in it. How does that challenge or encourage you in your relationships with people who are very different from you?
Pastor Lori noted that when we do not use our unique gift, no one else can replace us in the body of Christ. What gift or ability do you believe God has given you that you may not be fully using right now?
The sermon closes with the observation that Jesus told the disciples to pray for more laborers, and by chapter 10 the number had already grown from 12 to 70. How does that encourage you to pray boldly for your church, your community, and the people around you who do not yet know God?
LIFE APPLICATIONS
This week, choose one specific and concrete step to move from spectator to participant in God's harvest. It might be as simple as writing an encouraging note to someone on your church's prayer list, inviting a neighbor to worship, volunteering for one hour of service, or calling a friend you have been meaning to check on. Take that one step, and notice the joy you feel when you do. Come back next time ready to share what happened.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
God calls every believer to be an active laborer in the harvest, not a passive spectator. Each person has a unique gift that no one else can replicate in the body of Christ.
Evangelism does not have to be coercive or uncomfortable. It can look like everyday acts of invitation, service, and love that bring genuine joy to both the giver and the receiver.
When people reject the good news we offer, Jesus instructs us to leave judgment to God, shake off discouragement, and keep moving toward those who are ready and receptive.
God's family is always larger and more expansive than we expect. As new people join the harvest, we are stretched, changed, and grown into greater love and maturity.
Prayer for more laborers is powerful and God answers it. The growth from 12 disciples to 70 in Luke's Gospel is a direct answer to the very prayer Jesus commanded His followers to pray.
ENDING PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank You for calling us not just to receive Your grace but to share it with the world around us. Thank You for reminding us today that the harvest is plentiful and that You have already equipped each one of us with gifts to serve in it. Give us the courage to put on our work boots and step out of the pew and into the field. Help us to see the people in our lives the way You see them, as beloved and ready to be welcomed into Your family. Where we have been spectators, make us participants. Where we have been fearful, fill us with joy. And where we have been narrow in our thinking, expand our hearts to match the width of Your love. May we go from this place ready to labor, and may we return with joy. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
