Lord of the Harvest

"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)
The harvest means that there is already a community out there.  There are already plants with fruits and vegetables waiting to be picked.  There are plants waiting to be seen.  One image that comes to mind with this is the entire concept of coming out.
Coming out is (currently) our lifelong task.  We have to come out to every new person we meet.  We have to discern whether it is worth us coming out at certain times or not.  How scary it is to come out when we have preconceived notions about a person.  How even scarier, though, when we actually know a person's beliefs see us at fault.  However, what joy it is to come out to an ally or another member of our queer family! We find another being just waiting to be seen and understanding what tribulations we have been going through.
Unfortunately, it is another uncomfortable experience to come out as Christian to someone in this same family.  It is an even greater joy and relief when we find another queer Christian.
That's what Jesus is telling us.  The harvest is plentiful.  Our LGBT family is strong and proud.  Our LGBT family is thirsting for God.  The laborers (right now, at least) are few.  Not only must we pray for more laborers, we must also bring out new queer Christians to become laborers.  We need to proclaim the Gospel that there is One who listens to us when we are beat up right in front of our house.  There is One who listens to us when we are being damned by everybody else.  There is One who loves us at all times in all areas.  There is One who forgives us.
Yes, the Lord of the harvest is providing the workers in these harvest fields today.

Devotion

"Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:60)
Jesus never stutters when He commands us.  He says, "love your neighbor," meaning every one.  He says, "proclaim the kingdom of God," meaning always.  We like to place our attention elsewhere, but to what reward?  God provides us with everything.  The Kingdom of Heaven is perfection for all of us.  Why would we want to go away from perfection? God loves each and every one of us.  How about we show that love to each other?

Giving

Today's gospel is one of my favorites.  First, it shows us that Jesus is the answer to everything.  We can try to trust in our own knowledge and tricks to get away from Jesus, but that gets us nowhere.  Second, it shows us that we are not our own. We are God's.  Thus, we need to give all we have to God.  We have God's image all over us, which makes us God's.  We need to show our love to all of God's creation so that we can have our purpose in our lives.  By living with this purpose, we can bring God's kingdom to earth.

Different Forms

"The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness." (Psalm 103:8)
Today's commemoration is for Luke, the evangelist.  Luke's work shows us God's compassion, for God gave Luke such an important mission: to spread the gospel as a gentile.  There are no limits to God's will: whatever God wants happens.  We should go by that example and listen to what God has in store for each one of us.  At the same time, we must respect those who have these missions.  We may not like that a certain person may not look a certain way but preach the good news.  We may not be used to somebody who lives a certain way to give us the message.  We must accept God's message, for in its different forms it teaches us.

Admonitions

"Unjust anger cannot be justified, for it tips the scale to one's ruin.  Those who are patient stay calm until the right moment, and then cheerfulness comes back to them.  They hold back their words until the right moment; then the lips of many tell of their good sense." (Sirach 1:22-24)
The Bible tells us so many times about controlling our anger and our words.  If we take some time to think more about others than ourselves, especially when interacting with others, we will live in better harmony.  The Bible gives us so many useful rules for a good society.  Why don't we go ahead and build the Kingdom of God on earth with what we already have and know?  Let's take time to love one another.

Service

"If any want to be my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)
Jesus is very clear.  It will be hard work. There will be times that you are going in the opposite direction as everybody else.  There will be times that a crowd and a parade will be headed in a different direction than you who follow Jesus.  But there will be times of grace, love, joy, and happiness, for God is the source of all these things. 

Dispatch

"Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic." (Luke 9:3)
Jesus not only sends us out, but He also tells us to become part of the community.  He tells us to take nothing, which is important, especially because He is telling us not to take our prejudices or our own emotional baggage with us.  He tells us to go into the community and stay if we are welcomed.  Therefore, He tells us to go and make friends and to build up w community, for God's love is the best display of the gospel.  Once we show God's love, God will take care of the rest.