For the Harvest is abundant, but the labourers are few. - Luke 10:2

One of our Youth Ministry’s favourite songs is Commission my Soul by Citipointe. When the keyboard starts the rhythm, I personally get lost in the bliss of it all. The song starts in a real slow, swaying motion. The lyrics kick in, and it becomes a sweet dialogue between you and God. The guitars and the drums join the symphony and you find yourself bouncing to the beat, now, declaring ever more emphatically the message you want to convey. “Commission my soul with a fire uncontrollable, for this great cause to save the lost, open my eyes to the reason I’m alive, O Lord, I’m ready now. I’ll follow You”.

I find the song very appropriate with today’s gospel which talks about Jesus commissioning his disciples to the mission field. Luke’s Gospel has two stories of Jesus sending out his followers to go and spread the good news. Jesus sends the Twelve apostles (chapter 9), and the 70 disciples (chapter 10) on mission.According to the Jewish tradition, there are twelve tribes of Israel and seventy nations of the earth. The Apostles had their role to play when they were commissioned to the save the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 10:6). Thinking about it, I guess the twelve of them have already got the twelve tribes covered, yes? What’s left? The 70 nations. The sending of the seventy disciples, therefore, has to symbolize the commissioning of the message of Christ, to the seventy nations – to the whole world.

As I serve God through this ministry, I feel more and more, a conviction in my heart that I indeed have a purpose. I indeed have a mission. But who am I to be entrusted with such a great responsibility? I am after all just a regular, non-ordained guy. A lay person, at most. A sinner even! Shouldn’t I leave such great missions to the “big guns”?

Christian tradition identifies the twelve apostles with ordained ministry in the church. When at the Last Supper, Jesus commission his followers to “do this in memory of me”, the clergy. If this is so, then the seventy who are sent out on mission must be understood as the lay people. Yes, that is you, me – everybody! Today’s gospel story, therefore shows us that mission is for everyone, big guns and little shots alike, the clergy as well as the laity. Mission is for all of us, ordained and non-ordained followers of Christ alike.

“The harvest is abundant, but the labourers are few.” (Luke 10:2). This is true today as it was in the days of Jesus. So, I guess in all its sense, this is where we, the laity, come in. But what roles are we supposed to play in fulfilling the mission of Christ?

Scripture tells us in Matt 9:38 “Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” and in Luke 10:3 “Go on your way. Behold, I send you out”. God is calling us out in (1) prayer, and (2) active involvement. This is not a question of doing either the one or the other, but instead, let us serve God by spreading His message through a commitment to prayer, and a commitment to action. Praying unceasingly equips us in the mission field. It heals us from our sins, and strengthens us beyond measure. Enabling us to “go on our ways”, whatever it may be.

With God on our side, who can be against us? We can be successful in our mission field just as the 70 were. They returned amazed and full of joy as even the demons were subject to them in Jesus’ name. We can do great things - We can do all things, through Christ who gives us strength (Phil 4:13), and through it all, just like in the last part of the gospel, Jesustold those whom he sent: “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” He will tell us the same word once we respond in whatever way to His call.

So, the next time you find yourself singing Citipointe’s song. Remember your call to mission. In the silence of the rhythm, we are called to prayer. In the symphony of the full band, when we raise our hands, and sing our lungs out - in our active involvement, we are called to action.

Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you. For the harvest is great indeed, but the labourers are few. Many are called, but few are chosen.

Godbless You!

- Lanzi Borromeo