Matthew9, Genesis 18: 1- 15, 2026
Living God help us to hear your holy Word that we may truly understand;
so that as we come to understand, we may trust you, and in trusting, we may follow you,
through Christ our Lord.
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre as he sat in the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day
Abraham was just sitting in the entrance of his tent and there was the Lord
We are told he was manifested as three men
They interacted and through that visit
Abraham learned that he was to be the father of a son
What a promise
What a day
When Abraham had his visit from the Lord
He spent time with the Lord
Abraham visited with the men who were there
He served them food and drink
He welcomed them into his home
In our encounter with God we need to do something similar
Some time ago I was when I was working with one young teen to prepare her to confirm her faith, and to become a member of her congregation, we were talking about holy habits
The book that we used called daily devotions and other spiritual practices holy habits
And I think it is easier to think of having holy habits maybe than it could be to develop spiritual disciplines
Although they are the same thing
We talked about things like how to pray
How to incorporate regular Bible reading into our lives
Or how to incorporate giving, or Christ-like actions in one’s life help to welcome God into our lives
Just as Abraham welcomed the Lord at his tent
Holy habits help us to connect with God as one who loves us and is present to us always
The following prayer from Iona is one way we might talk with God:
Eternal God
Conceiver and shaper,
Ruler and saviour of the world
We bless you that, awake and aware we are free to praise you, bound in the family of Christ to worshippers in every land.
We worship you in our mother tongue as others do in theirs glad to be part of your pattern and purpose
Liberate all who follow Christ from narrowness of vision and limited discipleship
Make your people keen to serve you in the public worlds of business politics, education, law, industry, and wherever the welfare of humanity
may be improved or threatened.
Thus, may compassion and justice inform our national life and institutions
as keenly as they address our consciences
Throughout this day enliven our minds.
Inspire our conversation
Inform our decisions
And protect those we love.
And should today bring what we neither anticipate nor desire
Increase our faith and decrease our pride
Until we know that when we face the unexpected we do not stand alone
Hear these prayers
Made in the presence and name
Of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
We pray for God to liberate us and shape us as we spend time with him
As we pray we may do so in the confidence that our loving God is listening, interested and supporting
Just as the Lord appeared to Abraham with an important message
So Jesus appeared to people hundreds of years later with a message
He told people
The harvest is plentiful
But the labourers are few
Jesus said this because as he moved through the towns and villages he found that the people were “oppressed, downtrodden, beat-up, and crushed.
The historical and literary contexts indicate Rome and the religious elite as those who inflict social, economic, political, and religious abuse with misrule.”1
This vacuum of leadership is what Jesus and his disciples step into. What is needed is new leadership for a renewed community”
That quote is in an article written by Danny Zacarias who is on the faculty of Acadia Divinity School
He grew up in Winnipeg, and his mother’s people are Cree and Anishinaabe who inhabited the areas called Treaty 1 and Treaty 5
The fact that he lives in Atlantic Canada caught my attention, and as I read what he shared, I could see that he lives the truths of scripture
Danny writes of Jesus finding that in the land of Israel that the people were like sheep without a shepherd
And so Jesus commissions the Twelve disciples and sends them out to continue Jesus’ mission
As we read the gospels, we learn that the mission of Jesus is holistic.
He teaches in synagogues, proclaims the good news of the kingdom, and heals every disease and affliction.
His compassion for the people is not abstract; it moves him to action.
He sees their suffering, their lostness, and recognizes their need for leadership and care.
The mission to which Jesus sends his disciples is to also to respond to the needs of the people, relying on God’s provision
The disciples are to imitate their Lord
Theirs is not to be passive belief, but active participation in the work of restoration
Today’s gospel tells of a pivotal moment in Jesus’s ministry,
This is the moment when his work empowers his followers to expand his ministry.
So far we have seen Jesus who moves through towns and villages, teaching and healing, to also be moved with compassion for the crowds
This is the heart of discipleship to respond to the needs of the people, relying on God’s provision, and carrying forth the work of healing
Now when Jesus says that the people were like sheep without a shepherd, he didn’t mean that they had no leaders
Jesus meant that were not getting the kind of leadership that they needed
It seems that the religious leaders of the day were content to see to the running of the temple and to neglect the requirements of the ordinary people
It definitely was the case that the Roman rulers had no concern for the poor, the widowed and the orphaned
Now, in the minds of those leaders, they were leading
They were fulfilling their role in the hierarchy
They knew what they were in charge of and they fulfilled that task
However, the role of leader, as God saw it, was more than completing the chain of command
The leaders of God’s people were to be shepherds
They were to be among the ones who needed guidance, not looking down on the ones who needed guidance
For example, some of the leaders that God had given leaders were called judges,
The judges lived in community and served the needs of the people
This is an entry point into the text for Danny Zacharias
He looks at the sort of leadership that was being followed in the day that Jesus taught
It was the sort of leadership that is about hierarchy
The sort of leadership that asks “Who am I in charge of?”
He contrasts this with the style of leadership in “many Indigenous cultures, [where] leadership is about service (Who can I help?). A true leader is one who cares for the people, ensuring their well-being. Much like a Wisdom Keeper or Medicine Man, Jesus responds to the needs of the people, embodying a leadership that is deeply relational and motivated by compassion”
When Jesus saw that the harvest was plenty, he chose twelve disciples to help with the harvest
The role of disciple has been passed on through the ages
Throughout the ages there have been countless others who have been chosen by God to help with the harvest
One such ministry is the Regional Ministry in the presbytery of the Northwest (described in the Summer issue of Presbyterian Connection)
This presbytery stretches from Red Deer Alberta to Dawson Creek BC
In response to the reality of many congregations being unable to call a full-time minister, and there not being enough interim moderators, the presbytery created what they call the Sharing Ministry
A Regional Minister has been appointed by the presbytery to care for a cluster of congregations
Lay leaders lead the worship service using the PCC worship resources that are available online
The sermon is available from the regional minister via video
As well, the regional minister travels from congregation to congregation, so each week one congregation has the sermon delivered in person
At first many were skeptical about this approach
But after three years they have found that it works well
The body of Christ is still able to worship, and the leadership that has emerged has lessened the anxiety that folks were experiencing
The harvest in Presbytery of the Northwest is being reaped by those who are led by God’s grace to respond to a need
Today we hear Jesus saying that the harvest is plentiful
When I think of harvest I think of a large machine driving through a field cutting down the grain which will then be processed and sold
In days gone by harvesting was a more hands-on process
Machinery and tools were used
But the process was slower
And more labour intensive
Neighbours and families worked together to bring in the crop
Whether it was grain, vegetables or fruit.
While most of the helpers were in the field working there were other equally important workers in the kitchen cooking to feed those hungry labourers as they took their much-needed breaks
And before the harvest happened there were those who sowed and tended the crop
All were needed for a successful harvest
To what role had God called you in the harvest of faith development?
Are you like the preparer of the soil?
Soil can be fertile, or sandy or rocky
But it doesn’t need to stay that way
Soil can be improved
Depending upon the lack in the soil
It may need manure
Peat moss
Lime
Top soil
There is a need for those who prepare the soil for sowing, when the need for a proper balance is shown
Preparation is essential for the harvest to be plentiful
If you are not a preparer, has God maybe called you to weed the garden?
To make sure that the plants have a healthy atmosphere in which to grow?
Have you been called to water and tend?
Or have you maybe been called to go out with the harvesting tools and bring in the crop
At each step of our faith development there have been those who helped us to grow
To be ready to be harvested
And while we do not actually spread fertilizer or pull weeds in the lives of others
When we help them to make good choices, or provided help in their
With each level of faith there are stories of discipleship to tell
As we think of these people who helped us to know God better we can be encouraged
There have been elders and ministers in our churches who have been faithful to God and interested in us
There have been Christian teachers whose faith has helped them to be a dedicated example
Ministers like Mark Buell, who really live what they say
You all know Mark from the days that he was your pastor
Yesterday he shared at the funeral service for Billy MacLeod
He reminded us of the changelessness of Jesus who we can trust and rely on
He spoke from a place of quiet trust in the peace and joy of God
This sort of confidence in faith comes from one, who like Abraham spends time with the Lord
Think of that day that the Lord appeared to Abraham
There he was
Sitting in his tent
Going through his normal routine
And the Lord let him know that he would have a son
In years to come Abraham would become known as a patriarch
But on that day he was a man in his tent with a hope for a son
He showed through the years that he was subject to both days of obedience and days of straying
The reason Abraham became a name was because he followed God
Today
As you sit in your tent
Whether that is at your desk at work or school
Or at your workbench
Or in your car
Or at your kitchen table
That you will be open to what God’s plan for you is
To grow in faith
And to help others in that same growth.
Like a plant
Slowly developing
Day by day
To see God more clearly
Love God more nearly
Follow him more nearly
Day by day
(This sermon draws many ideas from Commentary on Matthew 9:35-10:8. Found at Working Preacher. Written by Danny Zacharias, Associate Dean and Professor of New Testament Studies at Acadia Divinity School, Wolfville, NS)
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
God of the earth and all its peoples,
in Jesus Christ, you proclaimed the good news
that true life and peace are found in you.
Guide your church to proclaim this good news,
not in ways that merely please people or don’t ruffle feathers,
but in ways that bring Christ’s reconciling love to divided communities
and lives out of joint with each other.
Shine your light into the world’s hidden corners,
exposing violence, exploitation, and bigotry.
Reveal what dehumanizes the vulnerable and degrades your creation.
God of the earth and all its peoples,
Let your light shine!
God of healing and hope,
thank you for your faithfulness to us in all situations
We pray for all those who are ill or in pain,
for the anxious and discouraged, for those experiencing violence,
for those facing death or the loss of someone dearly beloved,
and for those struggling to make ends meet in these uncertain times.
We pray for Presbyterian World Service & Development and its partners
as they work to bring healing and hope to places of strife and deprivation.
Here add specific prayers for places in need or facing unrest.
May the mission we share in Jesus’ name shine the light of your love into desperate lives.
God of the earth and all its peoples,
Let your light shine!
God of the faithful future,
bless this community of faith
and guide us as we plan for the future in changing times.
Bless students and teachers as the school year ends
and restore them for learning with summer enjoyment.
Grant us all times to rest and to enjoy this summer
and replenish our hope and energy to serve in your world.
God of the earth and all its peoples,
Let your light shine!
We pray for your creation
and for the places in this world
that are scarred by degradation and pollution;
let a spirit of care make us faithful stewards
and caretakers of the world you love.
And we pray for those places around the world
that are marked by war, violence and poverty;
let a spirit of generosity and care make us advocates
for justice and peace who
speak the Good News of God’s reconciling love.
God of the earth and all its peoples,
Let your light shine!
We offer all our prayers, spoken and unspoken,
through Jesus Christ our Lord in whose name we pray Amen
COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
Walk gently on the earth God has entrusted to us all
and cherish God’s amazing creation.
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you. Amen.