“Ask the Master of the Harvest” by Melanie Rigney

“Ask the Master of the Harvest” by Melanie Rigney

Saturday of the First Week of Advent

He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. (Isaiah 30:23) 

Blessed are all who wait for the Lord. (Isaiah 30:18d)

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9:35-38)

Piety

Jesus, help me to be a laborer in Your name. 

Study

There are harvests, and then there are harvests.

The independent small farmers who remain in this country are among its biggest gamblers. Even with crop insurance, it’s a dicey business. An early frost, a tornado, record-setting rain might be bearable one year or even two for some, but not much more than that. 

If it’s not a calling, there’s little financial reason to stick with an independent small farm. You’d probably do better by moving into town and taking up a more predictable line of work. I’ve known small farmers who keep farming because they can’t imagine anything better than planting in the spring, caring for the crops in the summer, and harvesting in the fall. Call it romantic, because it is. Call it mystical because it is.

You may not have 160 acres of wheat or a backyard strawberry patch or hanging plants on your balcony. Yet you are called to labor in the field just the same. Maybe the work you do within your family or your coworkers or your ministry will seem to be a failure. Perhaps there will continue to be physical and spiritual poverty within your world. Maybe it will appear your labor has changed nothing. But believe me, it has—already. You answered the call to be a laborer, and the quantity, quality, and visibility of the harvest was not part of the deal. But you kept on working in God’s name nonetheless, obedient and faithful. Call it romantic, because it is. Call it mystical because it is.  

Action

Do some weeding in your interior life.

Images is from The Digital Artist via Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/farming-harvest-agriculture-food-2570803/