{"id":11231,"date":"2025-07-06T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=11231"},"modified":"2025-07-05T21:07:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T11:07:38","slug":"the-marks-of-jesus-harvest-hands-and-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=11231","title":{"rendered":"The Marks of Jesus &\u00a0Harvest Hands and Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Scripture Readings<\/strong>: Galatians 6:7\u201316 & Luke 10:1\u201311, 16\u201320\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s text invites us to the marks of Jesus and the journey of disciples. Sisters and brothers in Christ! What are the marks that we carry – the signs that show who we belong to? In Galatians 6:17, Paul writes, \u201cI bear on my body the marks of Jesus.\u201d (NIV), These are not just scars of suffering, but signs of love, faithfulness, and obedience. What does it mean today to bear the marks of Jesus and be sent as his disciple into a world longing for hope and healing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Luke 10, Jesus sends out seventy disciples (or 72) with a mission to bring peace, heal the sick, and proclaim that the kingdom of God is near. Though the harvest is ready, the workers are few. Jesus\u2019 disciples were sent with urgency and purpose, they went out empty-handed, relying fully on God\u2019s provision and the hospitality of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus instructed his disciples to stay where they were welcomed and to receive hospitality with gratitude. They were sent to bring peace and healing in Jesus\u2019 name, embodying a mission that is deeply relational, not transactional. Commissioned by the Lord, they proclaimed, \u201cThe kingdom of God has come near.\u201d This message remains unchanged, whether received or rejected, for the responsibility lies with the hearer, not the messenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when they returned, their hearts were overflowing with joy – not because of what they accomplished, but because their names were written in heaven. That joy is the heartbeat of every true disciple and is found in belonging to God. We are not called to change the world by our own strength but to walk faithfully into God\u2019s fields and sow peace, mercy, and love, trusting Him with the growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At last Friday Fellowship where we had a lot to share, we saw Wattle Seed-Pods by textile artist Annemieke Mine, like this beautiful piece, may we beautifully sow and reap the love of Christ and the peace of the Lord in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul\u2019s words in Galatians 6 echo this call. He reminds us that what we sow, we will reap. People can either sow to please the flesh – seeking applause, comfort, and control – or they can sow to please the Spirit, walking in humility and grace. Our actions have spiritual consequences. What are we sowing and reaping?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Galatians 6:9, Paul encourages us not to grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Like sowing seeds into the ground, doing good often feels like an act of faith – we may not see the results immediately, and the soil of life can sometimes seem hard or unresponsive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But just as farmers trust that the seed will sprout in due season, we are called to trust that God is at work, even in unseen ways. Every act of kindness, every word of encouragement, every faithful prayer is a seed sown into God\u2019s kingdom, and His promise is that a harvest will come if we do not give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, Paul urges us in verse 10 to “do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” The church is the field where God often begins His work of transformation. As we persevere in love, service, and generosity, especially within the community of faith, we reflect Christ’s love to the world. Let us keep sowing with hope, knowing that our labour in the Lord is never in vain, and that the season of harvest, ordained by God, will surely come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As seen in verses 14 and 15, identity is not in external marks but in new creation through Christ. Paul dismisses superficial religion for transformed living. He boasts in nothing but the cross of Christ, for it is through the cross that we become a new creation. True boasting is in the cross, and the cross marks us with love, not pride, with peace, not power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seeds we sow will sprout and grow, and the kingdom of God that we proclaim will grow through our service. May we sow and reap without becoming weary, even though there will be times when we are discouraged from doing good or from doing God’s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galatians 6 offers peace to those walking by the Spirit; Jesus from Luke\u2019s gospel commands the disciples to proclaim peace. We wish each other grace and peace. May our lives, while we are on this earth, bring the peace of the Lord, share the love of Christ, and proclaim the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we walk through our journey as disciples of the Lord, we may face rejection, we may sow seeds and not see the harvest. However, we are sent to sow, and living the gospel in the world is sowing. As a new creation people, may we rejoice in righteous works, in being children of God and co-workers with the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in this new creation, we are harvest hands – sent ones who carry Christ\u2019s peace into homes, communities, and hearts. May we not grow weary, even when we feel small or unseen. For every seed sown in love, every step taken in obedience, brings joy not only to earth, but to heaven itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beloved Leighmoor family in Christ! We are sent in grace and marked by Christ. Not by the world\u2019s standards, not by our past, not by what we do or don\u2019t have, but by the grace of Jesus who calls us, sends us, and walks with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are a bearer of peace. A witness of grace. A living mark of Christ in this world. Let the world see who we belong to. And may every step we take be a testimony that the Kingdom of God has indeed come near through you, through us, through Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks be to God! Amen.
<\/strong>(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scripture Readings: Galatians 6:7\u201316 & Luke 10:1\u201311, 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