He is the lord of the harvest

It's autumn -- glorious, colorful, bountiful autumn when the crops are brought in and man reaps what he has sown. It's autumn -- promised by God to Noah: "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest." (Genesis 8:22) It's autumn, time of the harvest, and God says, "He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame." (Proverbs 10:5) Jesus also said "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." (Luke 10:2)

"OK, Lord, that's easy. I'm just praying that you'll send out laborers. Amen!"

That takes care of my fall reaping, I guess, since I prayed. Send out laborers -- fervent farmers who have planted, watered, weeded and earnestly anticipated the crop. Why, that must be pastors, preachers, priests and paid clergy. You know, the guys with the rearview mirror tags who get to park with the doctors in the hospital parking lot. It's autumn, so you hired hands get out in those fields and come back rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. The rest of us saved and sittin' folks will watch you work -- probably even give advice now and then.

What's that, God? Read the surrounding verses of Luke 10? Uh-oh, in verse 1, Jesus is sending out 70 followers and telling them in verse 3 to "Go your way; behold I send you out as lambs among wolves."

Lambs? I think the hoof fits. God expects us sheep to get out with our combines to combine the love of God with the good news of Jesus so we can bring his harvest home. So God just might call me the "son who causes shame" in Proverbs 10:5 if I'm sleeping instead of reaping. Somehow I feel a big boot in my backside to kick me out into the fields.

George Macdonald wrote in 1887: "If you knew what he knows about death you would clap your listless hands." I think I'd also get off my fickle fanny and never stop shouting to everyone that Jesus died for them.

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 23:33 that they were headed to hell. In fact, on numerous occasions he talked about hell.

Comedian W.C. Fields, when asked why he was reading his Bible when he was old, replied, "I'm looking for the loopholes." Funny, except I suspect it's not funny to those who've been buried in their grave hole unless they knew THE Loophole -- Jesus Christ.

Is anybody still reading? Somehow I don't picture hell as being the popular topic of conversation at next year's Super Bowl parties during the halftime show, although maybe it should be. There's nothing fun or funny about the subject, but if you think Jesus knew what he was talking about (after all, he'd been around when hell was created), you have to know hell is real, even in August it does NOT get hotter than Hades, and we harvesters are supposed to be lovingly laboring to keep folks out of it.

That brings me back to autumn. It's harvest time! I have to ask myself what I'm doing to help harvest souls for the kingdom of heaven. I can stay and pay ... for others to go overseas. I'm also supposed to teach and reach the lost who are around me. Or I can sleep through the harvest. Shame! Shame!

June Seabaugh is a member of Christ Church of the Heartland in Cape Girardeau.