This week we are all joining together to worship with Ad Hoc Voices. We are so blessed to have cathedral quality singers in our rural parishes. We begin at 11am at St Mary’s Church.

Today’s gospel reading is one that fills me with fear: going into the unknown to tell people that Jesus loves them without even a spare pare of knickers or knowing where I will be sleeping. In fact so great is my fear that when as a student vicar we had to go on ‘mission’ (staying in stranger’s homes, knocking on doors, street preaching, shudder) I opted out and went to LA instead.

That doesn’t sound good, I know, so let me clarify. An opportunity came up for a group of us to go and work with a church in Altadena the college had connections with. We had to pay our own flight and we would be put up in parishioners’ homes. Ironically I ended up staying with an eccentric pensioner from UK, whilst others stayed in whole guest houses with swimming pools, mine didn’t even have a washing machine!

I’m guessing for most people here the thought of being ‘sent out’ is also scary, of knocking on a stranger’s door and asking if they know Jesus makes you judder. I could be wrong, there’s always one or two, those who are gifted evangelists.

Despite all of the above, this passage was the one I chose for my interview and the bishop then preached on at my licensing:

The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.

Matthew 9:37

We can choose to read this in many ways.

We can begin with the positive: the harvest is plentiful. Today we rejoice in a plentiful harvest of music. I am astounded each time Ad Hoc Voices join us at the calibre of the music, singing which lifts the roof and also our hearts, our spirits. We have a great harvest of wonderful people we share our villages with: Hemyock Day yesterday was such a blessing. I couldn’t stay long, but it was a joy to see people of all ages enjoying the sunshine and the music and simply being together as neighbours. And look at us all here today, worshipping God from across our Mission Community.

However, the labourers are few.

In each of our parishes we have recently held our Annual Meetings where we elect our Council and Churchwardens and in each of the four churches we still have vacancies. Perhaps, in the same way that I shuddered at the thought of knocking on doors, you shudder at the thought of standing as Churchwarden. Conversely you may be thinking that actually, in comparison with knocking on doors and speaking to strangers about Jesus being a churchwarden sounds quite appealing. There are other roles that need filling in each of our churches too, so often it seems that the same two or three carry all the roles between them. I have heard that in any organisation 20% do the organising whilst 80% enjoy the ride. Church needs to be different.

As Christians we are all called to serve. It is in our baptism vows which as adults we renew and take on for ourselves at confirmation. As a church we are to be a family, and yes many families are a little dysfunctional, but the best ones pull together each with their own roles according to ability.

If you are a guest here today, you are so welcome, please receive our hospitality (there is cake afterwards), if you are here for the first time, you are so welcome, please do come and say hello afterwards, we would love to get to know you better (although if you are feeling overwhelmed and just want to slip out the door afterwards we won’t pounce on you). If you are a member of the church family in any of our parishes, if you are signed up to the electoral roll, what is your role within church life? Every member has a role to play, what is yours?

Are you serving on the PCC? Singing in our regular choir? Providing cakes for after worship? Tidying the church in between services? Preparing activities for our children’s corner? Serving at the Charity Shop? Holy gardening? Serving on the welcoming team as a sidesperson? Setting up for worship? Fundraising for our two big church projects? Offering your financial skills as treasurer or cashier? We haven’t even begun to think about ‘going out’ to bring in the harvest because there are still struggling to keep this ‘barn’ in order.

And maybe that’s your frustration that whilst we focus on our beautiful churches, we aren’t getting out there. How do we show God’s love to our young people, our elderly, and all those in between? I have a head brimming with ideas (not all brilliant ones most likely) but how can we consider something new when don’t have our ‘scaffolding’ in place?

Today, though, I want to be a celebration. A celebration of being all together, worshipping together, being family together. I want to thank all those who do pull together, each doing their own little bit, and if you are feeling moved by God to do something, let’s have a chat. There is plenty to choose from.

You can read the Gospel passage in full here.