CHICAGO (ELCA) - "Rogation Days" in May offer Christians an opportunity to reflect on the significance of water, seeds and soil, and the people whose livelihoods depend on these elements.
Rogation is a Christian observance the three days before Ascension Day, this year on June 1. Some Christians recognize Rogation Days by fasting or through public litanies. Ascension Day is a commemoration of Christ's ascension into heaven.
"Rogation is a time to remember our connectedness to the soil, to the seeds that are planted and those that tend the soil," said the Rev. Richard A. Magnus, executive director of the ELCA Division for Outreach. Magnus was worship leader at a May 9 Rogation Days observance during the weekly worship service held here at the Lutheran Center. The Lutheran Center houses the churchwide offices of the ELCA.
To prepare for the observance, Sandra A. LaBlanc, ELCA director for rural resources and networking, asked ELCA members to send soil samples from their gardens and farm fields to her office in Des Moines. Samples were received from 16 states, she said.
"With each bit of dirt came a story," LaBlanc said. The samples, along with seeds and water, were blessed at the service.
"We have blessed the elements of water, seeds and soil," she said. "Why would we do that? The answer is very simple: we all eat."
Water is an important part of the process for producing food and plants, she said. Presently, more than 40 percent of the United States is suffering from severe to moderate drought.
"Unfortunately, that includes much of the Heartland and the Great Plains, areas already beset by low commodity prices, bankruptcies, vertical integration and the rest of the troubles of rural America," she said. "Family farmers and ranchers are at risk, and many are going out of business. A drought will quicken this process."
Agriculture and the people who work in the industry have a significant connection to God, LaBlanc said. God created water, seeds and soil. Nearly all of the producers LaBlanc has met believe in God, she added.
"The spiritual lesson of Rogation Days is that God and humanity are cooperators in the creative processes of agriculture, that tilling and care of the soil are humanity's God-given tasks and privilege, that human life depends on God's goodness in quickening life-giving power in the sown seed, which results in the return to mortals of the bounty of the earth," LaBlanc said.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
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Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
