Pray for Laborers

It’s Call Day at the LCMS seminaries. Thus it was fitting to read from Luke 10 at Matins this morning, “And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”

The emphasis has been on the fewness of the number of people. I submit that we should emphasize not the fewness in terms of number of people, but the fewness in actual laborers. What you are being called into is labor. It is work. By the sweat of your brow you will eat. It is a daily picking up of your cross. It will be difficult, challenging, exhausting. It is work, which is fitting for a laborer.

And what is that work? It is what is described in the succeeding verses. Preaching that “the kingdom of God is near.” You are proclaiming the reign of God over the reign of sin, death, and the devil. You are working against their dominion. For God reigns still. God has taken back His dominion in purchasing and winning His creation with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. That those who hear you and believe your word, will hear the Word of Jesus and His Father and have what it says. This labor frees those who hear and believe from the dominion of sin, death, the devil, and hell. It gives them a new life in the Word of God. A newness of life lived even now in, with, and under that Word.

And the effect of that work is what Jesus describes: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” You are sent as laborers, workers, to preach the reign of God which casts out demons, throws out Satan from his stronghold. You are sent to kick Satan’s a@%. To crush the heads of the serpent with the work of the one who did so once and for all. And that is an ongoing labor. It is difficult, trying, dirty work. It requires stamina. It requires courage. It requires tenacity. It is good work. Don’t forget that it is good work. Keep at it. Don’t give up. Don’t get lazy. And rejoice that your names are written in heaven.