Yesterday, we harvested the very last of the peppers from our little plot. There were bell peppers, and banana peppers at various stages of green and red. A few of them were just starting to get soft, and they needed to be frozen right away.

That’s the way it is with produce; there is a short time between when it is “ripe” and when it starts to rot. There is, then, a sense of urgency to it.  


My father has told me the stories of “the thrashers” when he was growing up in the farming community.  

Neighboring farmers would gather together to help each other bring in the crops, sharing the thrashing machine because not everyone could afford one. During this time, there was only one focus: the harvest.

Jesus uses the allegory of the harvest in Mathew chapter nine to describe the work of preaching the Gospel. He mourns the relative scarcity of the workers needed for the work:

 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  

 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."                 Mathew 9:36-38

The disciples must have understood the urgency of the harvest. The first century Christians were motivated by the hope that they would see Christ’s return in their lifetime. It motivated them to live a holy life, and to be busy sharing the Gospel.

The connection between the anticipation of Christ’s return and the Great Commission Harvest can be seen in the In the song: All the Nations, by Dr. James Durenat. 

I found this song in the Mission Conference Songbook and  I was curious, but unable to find out anything about Dr. Durenat. (If anyone knows more about him, please let me know.) I hope he does not mind my quoting the text of his song:

All the Nations,

by Dr. James Durenat
(sung to the tune of : Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee)

Every tribe in every nation
Is embraced by God’s great love
He who is the Lord of Harvest
Sent His Spirit from above
So that we might make disciples,
Baptize, teach them to obey
Everything that He commanded
Until He returns someday.

• Do we have a sense of urgency when it comes to sharing the Gospel?

• Is the anticipation of Christ’s return propelling us forward in our Christian walk?

• How do we impact our community for Christ?

• How can we reach Saginaw? How about your town?

• How can the church penetrate this culture?