Laborers into the Harvest

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.

"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” Luke 10:1-16 

Laborers

We are Laborers not Lords

our red brown hands rough and torn

our arms strong and burnt by sun

 and our legs weary at the day's end.

We live simply in the shacks provided

warm ourselves with visions of home

laugh together when the field boss is gone

and pray that we will live another day.

No one notices as we walk the ailses

security makes sure we don't steal

we are at once necessary and rejected

we are the laborers in the harvest.

Our clothes are worn and ratty

we migrate with the need and season

we are silently feeding a nation

we work for the Lord of the harvest.

The sand and dirt is in our shoes

it covers our faces and our knees

we are bent and weary from the load

but blessed to be serving the Divine.

We kneel in the muddy fields of gold

and stand in high cotton and corn

we seek the Lord's favor in every season

and ask to be used for the healing of the world.