The Laborers Are Few

 "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." Matthew 9:37

I was blessed to spend yesterday at the farm helping with harvest. As equipment changes and becomes more complex, so are reduced the number of farming operations I am prepared to step into on a moment's notice or on the chance day off from ministry. Hauling grain, either to the elevator or to the farm for storage, is something I still know how to do, so haul grain I did. Corn in the morning, soybeans in the afternoon. You couldn't ask for a better day.

Late afternoon, as the sun was winding its way down towards the western horizon and the dust from the combine was hanging in that lazy lingering fashion like a shroud covering the land for a half mile or so, I caught this picture of my brother, Larry, as he was maneuvering the combine through the field. Less than one percent of the total American population is actively engaged in farming, an even lesser amount are on true family farms. Larry, along with his son, Kenny, now carry on the over 150 year legacy of the Wagner family on the land in this area. Our Dad, Melvin, now 95, continues to oversee the operations, make 'suggestions' about next steps and does not hesitate to run a piece of machinery every time he gets a chance. It truly is about 'family' on this farm as my 'retired' brother, Carl, reminds me in every day he works side-by-side with them all, just to be there.

Yet, the same is true for nearly all the farmers in this particular part of God's creation: they are family farmers - and the last couple of weeks the families have been keeping their less than one percent of the population busy bringing in, and giving thanks for, the bounty this region is seeing from the hand of God. We are blessed. 

Sadly, not everyone has been blessed in the same way. Riding in the cab with Kenny for a couple of rounds, then talking with Larry at lunch, they spoke of the farmers in Iowa whose crops had been destroyed by the storm a few weeks back, then they thoughtfully reflected on Hurricane Delta nearing the southern coast of our nation in these days bringing the potential of even more farm challenges with it wherever it goes. Farmers are never in a vacuum: It is a community, regardless the numbers - and they look out for each other, pray for each other, help each other and support each other. If you don't . . . well, you aren't much of a farmer. 

When you think about it in those terms, it is really not much different than being part of a local congregation, regardless the faith tradition. The tools of the trade may vary a bit, but the essentials are much the same: We are all stewards of God's creation, striving to do our best for the land, for each other and for the One who calls us each by name. There may not be many of us in the pews or on the streets, but there is always much to do in the fields of God's planting for whomever is there. Somedays are easier than others and some fields are better than others, the equipment looks different from place to place, but all the work demands our best for, ultimately, the harvest was never ours to claim as a possession, ever.

So, the farmers do what their heart leads them to do, as the person of God acts in faith wherever they are. Both of them recognize the connective tissue of Christ and the Spirit in all others on the journey with them and both of them serve the One who never lets them go.

You think you are a minority? Try being a farmer . . . or a person of faith . . . in these days of increasing technological advancements, higher costs of production and global need. Truly, only God can bring such a vision of a bountiful harvest Home, we have only to trust and obey.

Thank you, Larry, Kenny, Carl and Dad, for reminding me of my Root, on the farm and in my faith.