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By Rev Don Rivers
Looking forward to Thanksgiving, the thought crossed my mind about the work necessary for the celebration. Not just the meal preparation but the effort that goes into the harvest. What have we done to prepare for the harvest? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Ah the smell of Thanksgiving; turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy and all the fixings. We are putting plans in place for next week’s Potluck Harvest Dinner at Christian Life Chapel, The Racer’s Church. What a wonderful time of community, food, fun and celebration. It is a special time when friends and family come together around the table to enjoy the fruits of each other’s labor.
Thinking about all that we enjoy I wondered who put forth the effort to make it a reality. Sure, someone is up at six preparing and getting the turkey in the oven. Others were busy at their homes preparing a dish to share. But the work started much sooner for many. The farmer comes to mind. Their effort to cultivate, plant, nurture and grow made the biggest contribution to the meal.
What about a racing series championship? What sort of things need to be in place for that celebration to take place? We can go all the way back to the raw metal sitting in the rack, waiting to be cut and pieced together. Even before that, the mind of the chassis builder as they plan the way the pieces will fit together. Many hands go into a championship celebration.
The thought crossed my mind as the championship leader got caught in an incident on the track at Seekonk last Saturday. That placed him behind the field and a few points out of the championship hunt. He needed to gain several positions to hold onto his lead. He pitted and swapped right-side tires. The comment was “This could be a show” meaning he would be up on the wheel digging as hard as he could to regain the lost positions.
In the end Jon McKennedy regained enough positions to win with a couple to spare. Think of all the preparation, races run, tires changed, laps completed to come down to a handful of laps for all the marbles.
I wonder if we have stopped and considered all the people who make our championships a success. As my mind stretches trying to get a handle on all the people involved; the chassis, motor, components, driver, team, track, series, and the list goes on. Whether a top division or a support division, no matter, all the hands necessary to complete the effort are present.
I enjoy it when a plan comes together. Think about the life we live. Just as someone, somewhere had to have the thought to organize this entire effort into what we call racing, the same can be said about our lives. Overwhelming when you stop and consider. We receive the blessing of pursuing what we have a passion in our heart to do. Thankful seems somehow incomplete.
The harvest isn’t possible without the effort of so many. We have friends that returned to farming after being away for a season. We see the joy and satisfaction visible on their faces as they bring in the harvest. Many early mornings and late nights. There are concerns about the weather, will it cooperate? All the cultivating, planting, fertilizing, watering and tending to the crop. For what? The satisfaction of the harvest.
Psalm 139:13-16;
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
God is our maker, He is the one who knitted us together, hidden from view. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Each one of us is a creation of the Lord God Almighty. I think we forget that sometimes. Each one of us has the unique touch of our creator. Created for a purpose, a harvest, if you will. Created uniquely qualified to fit into the plan of the Lord.
Have you wondered how some things fit so well together? Turkey and stuffing, peas and carrots, tea and honey, the list goes on. We were created to complement each other. There is a plan and we have a part in it. Consider what God created you for. Consider what God desires for your life.
Matthew 9:35-38; Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
We need to seek out the Lord of the harvest and ask for direction. We need to be willing to follow His plan, the plan put in place before our eyes beheld the beauty of this world. This was created for us to have dominion over, but we have fallen short. Without all the necessary effort the harvest will be incomplete.
Where does this find us today? Are we celebrating because of the efforts of many? Are we reaping the glory of the harvest? Maybe, but have we allowed the Lord to direct us in being a part of the effort to grow that which is being harvested?
I remember the calling of the prophet Isaiah. He found himself guilty in the presence of the Lord Almighty.
Isaiah 6:5-8; Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
The Lord of the Harvest is ready and willing to forgive. He is on His throne waiting for each of us to come before Him and seek forgiveness. He will forgive and enable us to work for Him as He prepares for the harvest. Are we willing to receive the gift He offers? Are we willing to put forth the effort to make the harvest great? As I see the eyes of fulfillment and satisfaction in the farmer, the reward is greater than we know. Allow the Lord to have dominion over your life.
Run the race in such a way as to win, throw off everything that hinders and focus on Jesus. Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations help us continue this ministry. Thank You.
