Scripture: John 4:35
Don’t you have a saying, ‘Four more months and then it’s time for harvest’? Look, I tell you: open your eyes and notice that the fields are already ripe for the harvest.
Thought for the Day: As I read this, I believe Jesus is talking about the blindness that can be conceived in our expectations. What history or experiences have taught us can limit our thinking about the future. People are waiting around for the right time, and Jesus suggests their eyes are closed to the fact that a harvest is waiting in the fields at this very moment. So many things limit our perception, or tell us one thing when something very different is happening. In the life of the church, history determines future. Now history and tradition are important and should never be dismissed. But we worship a God who is always making things new because the world in which we are serving is always changing. The core of the Gospel – God’s unconditional love – doesn’t change. In the past, this unconditional love was creative and unpredictable in its ability to reach people. Why should we think that God has put aside that creativity and unpredictability. This just might be harvest time. Let’s not miss it based upon old assumptions.
Prayer: May I do more than appreciate your creativity in the past, O Holy God. Give me faithful vision to see your creativity at work in this moment. Amen.
