Prepare for Easter

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

About My Father’s Business:

A Lenten Devotional Guide

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  

Luke 10:2 RSV

In 1977, Wallace and I came to Florida on Spring Break to get away from the snow in Kentucky. We visited a former student in Kissimmee, then a student in a college in that area. He lived in a garage apartment in the middle of an orange grove, rent-free. His only task was to alert the owner if any problems arose in the grove. It was a wonderful spot, and we slept with the fragrance of oranges in our room every night.

From the little porch on the house, we could reach out into the trees and pick oranges, and we did! Really fresh OJ for breakfast every morning. I asked our friend when and how they picked all that fruit, for as far as we could see there were oranges. He said it was sometimes difficult because the manual labor was hard and harvesters were often scarce.

How like the above Scripture that story is. As far as we can see around us as we drive or shop or eat out or golf, there are people who do not know the Lord. Their lives are often in turmoil, and the harvesters are few (Jesus said it, not I). Are we helpless to do anything about it? I think not.

Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers. Pray for God to send workers to reach our neighbors and friends. But don’t pray that unless you are willing to be the harvester.

Father, we’re almost afraid to pray this prayer because we feel so inept. But you wouldn’t have said to go if you didn’t intend to prepare us for the job. So, send us, Lord. Amen

About My Father’s Business:

A Lenten Devotional Guide
prepared for First United Methodist Church

 of Homosassa, Florida
Spring 2010
by Patience Nave, Christian Education Coordinator