Private Desmond Doss in World War 2 is famous for his daring rescue under enemy fire of 75 wounded American soldiers. Private Doss was a Christian committed to non-violence who refused to handle a gun or fire a single shot, and served as a medic at the battle of Okinawa against the Japanese. Desmond risked his life again and again to go back to the battlefield treating and carrying the wounded to safety; praying each time: ‘Lord, please help me find one more!’
The landowner in Jesus’ parable of the vineyard workers (Matthew 20:1-16) is one such person like Desmond who goes out again and again to gather workers for his vineyard having compassion on them and being generous to them (despite envy and bitterness from some of the workers) to give them a future and a hope. This is the sort of God that we have who goes out gather his lost children in this battle ridden world, and we too should pray like Private Desmond Doss: ‘Lord, please help me find one more’ when we go out to reach out to the broken and lonely who need a church family.
We all can certainly pray generally for the mission of the church, but perhaps you can start very simply by trying to reach just one person at a time and praying that simple prayer. Enjoy this worship service at Trinity Pasadena this morning and hear God’s message to us on this topic as we unpack this striking parable.
Pastor Matt
