This most colorful season of the year in the north country, is a sign that it’s time to bring in the harvest – to gather up the fruits of the spring plantings – to enjoy the sustenance and ready ourselves for the upcoming cold days ahead.

In this month of October, most of the fields have been harvested and plowed under for a long winter’s nap.  My church is in the midst of celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation – October 31, 1517 – when Martin Luther boldly proclaimed his differences with the Roman Catholic church and set off a wave that would swell and change the church from that day forth.

Today we are in sort of a similar situation.  The time is perfect for change with the advent of the internet and other technology.  We have been blessed with amazing tools with which to share the truth of God’s Word.  You can easily put a Bible app on your phone and have it available at a second’s notice.  You can read it anywhere.  We are unlimited.

God will always give us the means to spread the Word.  In Luther’s time, the printing press was the tool of the day.  It was also a time of new beginnings in the areas of art, music, technology, science with the birth of the Renaissance.  It was the perfect time to seize the day.

Today our cup runs over with communication access. We have instant communication, even with the President of the United States via Twitter.  We have the opportunity to have a voice with our elected officials, but who knows how long that will last.

Our churches have undergone some serious changes over the past 500 years as well.  The Protestant Reformation gave way to a plethora of denominations.  In just the past fifty years we’ve seen the advent of non-denominational churches popping up all over the country. These houses of worship have come to meet the needs of the people, giving them exactly what they want – a free pass to heaven without any consequences for sin.

Sin also has become a thing of the past and rarely is mentioned so as not to “offend” anyone.  The truth is, we are all SINNERS!  We’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  If we got what we truly deserve, we’d spend eternity in the void inferno of hell.  There would be no hope for us.

My church has gone through some growing pains in the past few years.  We are now in a rebuilding process.  Our membership was at 60 last year at this time.  Most of those who are new to our church have become disillusioned with the churches of today.  They’re tired of the “feel good” “prosperity” messages and simply want to know that they are loved by God, in spite of their lost condition.

The fields are ripe once more.  It’s harvest time.  Let’s bring in the sheaves!