There was a woman in California who saw that some children in the public schools came to school sick and seemed to have no medical care. She was a faithful parishioner at her Episcopal church, a retired nurse with a compassionate heart and the will to respond. She formed a network of school nurses, telephone volunteers and local health practitioners. The telephone volunteers solicited an hour a month from each doctor during which patients would be seen for free. The school nurses identified the children needing care and called the volunteers to make appointments with the bank of doctors. This program has served thousands of children who would otherwise have had no care.

There was a girl in Pennsylvania who had been ill and loved the sense of comfort that she got when she held her stuffed bear. No sick child should be without the comfort of a stuffed animal she reasoned. So she began a simple drive to gather stuffed animals for other children who were in the hospital. This drew in many adults and other children as volunteers. The organization and the girl have grown over the years. Thousands of stuffed animals have been gathered and distributed.

Ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things when they allow the love of God to act through them. What if the little girl had said, "I am only a child, No one will listen to me?" Or if the nurse had said, "There are so many children, this is too big to tackle?" And who in their right mind would take on the task of providing decent housing for an entire town without previous contracting experience? No task is too large for the compassion of Christ and God will work with anyone.

A stuttering murder became the prophet who led the people of Israel to freedom. Moses by his own admission was not eloquent and yet it was he who was chosen to shuttle between the mountaintop and the foothills to carry God's words and to remind the people of God's loving intent toward them. If we were in charge of making a list of desirable management attributes and interviewing applicants for the position of prophetic leader Moses might not have made the cut.

The list of Moses' troublesome aspects was rather long. Surely there were better candidates. Moses was hot tempered and impulsive. He didn't know how to delegate and he got overwhelmed when asked to multi-task. Moses frequently complained about projects he was assigned and more than once had threatened to resign when the going got tough. Early in his career he had skipped town because a warrant was out for his arrest. Later, when he was under pressure from the new group of people he was supposed to lead Moses avoided responsibility and tried to shift the blame to his boss. From a contemporary perspective Moses did not look like a very stellar candidate to lead the people of Israel. But he did fit the sole necessary qualification - Moses was the one whom God had chosen to lead the people and Moses said "yes".

When Jesus chose his disciples the parameters of the selection process were equally mysterious. For his right hand man Jesus chose an illiterate fisherman who must have had ADD. Peter couldn't seem to stay focused for more than a minute. Even Peter's loyalty to Jesus flip-flopped more than the fish in the bottom of Peter's boat. And what about Matthew and Simon - what was Jesus thinking - a tax collector and a zealot on the same team? Tax collectors were in league with the Romans and Zealots were fiery nationalists who wanted to kill all the foreign occupiers. Wouldn't putting Matthew and Simon together be like putting two scorpions in a jar?

A handful of other fishermen, some previously unknown characters, and a guy who would sell Jesus down the river rounded out the group. These twelve men of mixed backgrounds, outlooks and abilities were the ones Jesus commissioned as disciples. What qualified them for this work? It was not their intelligence or charisma, nor the strength of their resumes - it was the power of God working in them and through them. Jesus loved them, chose them, empowered them and then sent them to act on his behalf -ordinary people who would do extraordinary things.

We are no better or worse than the people with whom Jesus surrounded himself when he walked the earth. We can be as distracted as Peter and as misguided as Judas. We are equally undeserving and equally beloved. We are no different from the founder of Habitat for Humanity, the nurse with the healthcare idea, or the girl who loved other children and her bear. We are ordinary people capable of doing extraordinary things if we allow ourselves to be used.

We are surrounded by opportunity. The interior of our church needs to be restored. This is the base of operations from which we are sent to do Christ's work in the world. Earlier generations have labored with care to gift us with a beautiful place in which people have gathered for word and sacrament for over two hundred and fifty years. Now it is our turn to care. Few of us could fund this work by ourselves. But all of us working together can do it. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers into the harvest.

Loree is convening a discernment group that will look anew for the best ways to provide Christian education for our children and for adults. Once the group has done its work volunteers will be needed to serve as teachers and to help coordinate the Sunday school. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers into the harvest.

The Saint James Social Ministries Community has ongoing projects, on site and downtown. Ordinary people wiling to say "yes" are wanted to participate in extraordinary things.

Our Education for Ministry program continues to respond to those who are interested in deepening their understanding. By its very name it should be clear that ministry is the goal. Today we graduate several people who have completed their four year course of study. In September we will be convening a new class. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers into the harvest.

On Tuesday the Bishop laid hands on almost fifty people and either confirmed or received them. He prayed that those being confirmed would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit and empowered for God's service. Now we wait to see how that power will be used. Pray for inspiration, pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send out laborers into the harvest.

Each generation has its crowds who long to hear words of hope and promise. Every place has people and situations that need healing. Every society has its share of helpless and harassed sheep who are leaderless, manipulated or preyed upon. God raises up disciples to send them to the confused, the indifferent, the hostile and the seemingly undeserving because God's compassion is unceasing. The harvest is as plentiful now as it ever was. The need for laborers is ongoing. Faithful people responding, even falteringly, to a faithful God, will move toward the kingdom step by step. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers into the harvest. Pray, then get ready to act. Amen.