On May 5, East Lake Andes Lutheran Church celebrated its 34th consecutive Rogation Sunday. In case you don’t know what that is, Rogation Sunday is a day when the church comes together to pray for the health and welfare of our agriculturally based community. The word “rogation” comes from the word “rogare” which means “to ask or request.” It means that we as God’s people recognize that if we are going to have a successful harvest; if we are going to be able to feed ourselves and the world; if we are going to have any chance for a good return on our sowing of seeds we need to ask God for help.

For that reason, every year at the beginning of May we bring soil, seeds, equipment, and agricultural workers together and pray for them. We pray for a good return on the seed sown in the earth. We pray for timely rain to nourish the crops. We pray for safety and attentiveness for the workers. We pray for healthy animals, healthy people, and healthy communities. We pray for the hungry to be fed and the insecure to be cared for. And we pray that our small church might play a part in feeding the world and caring for the earth.

So, when you see the farmer in the field or the rancher working cattle pause and say a little prayer. Thank God for those who help ensure there is food on the table and crops in the soil. Ask God to keep those workers safe and alert as they deal with break downs and other challenges. Ask God to send us rain so the crops can crow and the pastures may have feed. And pray all these things not only for our convenience and comfort, but also so that a hungry world might be fed and provided for. For in the end much of life comes down to food and water.