The Farmer at Your Table

A few weeks ago, on a Sunday night at church, I was chatting with my friend Leah. A visitor joined our conversation to say hello to Leah. She then asked, “Who is this?”

Leah smiled and said, “This is Ana, my friend and my farmer. She grows such beautiful food.” She began describing her Sunday lunch from that day, highlighting the vegetables she adored eating and thanking me for the work I do every day to help put food on her table.

I work at The Cornucopia, a 10-acre farm where we grow 80 different types of organic vegetables throughout the year. Most of the vegetables are sold directly to consumers at farmers’ markets in Sioux Center, Iowa; Sioux City, Iowa; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Every Saturday during market season, I go to the Falls Park Farmer’s Market in Sioux Falls.

My job allows me to play a unique role in two different types of fellowship: a Fellowship of Sowing and a Fellowship of Harvesting. A Fellowship of Sowing is when we are part of laying the groundwork for fellowship, but we’re not physically present for the actual event. The Fellowship of Harvesting is participating in fellowship with others. Both are essential for the life of the church; both are fundamentally the work of the Holy Spirit. I believe we’re called to mindfully serve others through both types of fellowship.

Most of us are familiar with the Fellowship of Harvesting; we all want our hunger—in body and soul—to be satisfied. In the Fellowship of Harvesting, we are physically part of the fellowship taking place. Anything from catching up with a friend over a cup of coffee to an elegant wedding feast is all meant to be a glimpse of the New Creation when we are made righteous before God. We are drawn to food and fellowship because we are hungry in both ways: we long for good food to sustain us and relationships to satisfy the holes in our hearts. Fellowship fulfills our deep desires of being known by others as well as our desire to be full of food. In the Fellowship of Harvesting, we watch our hard work come to fruition. The hours we spend planning and cooking a dinner party, for example, are harvested when people, believers and unbelievers, gather around a table and partake in a meal together, filled with nourishing conversations.

But how can we cultivate opportunities to intentionally and joyfully participate in the Fellowship of Sowing?

We help create a Fellowship of Sowing when we encourage people to live in community with others through words and subtle, often behind-the-scenes, actions. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building” (ESV).

I do plenty of planting and watering, but I cannot explain to you how the whole life and being of a plant is wrapped up in such a small seed. I do not make plants grow; I do not send the rain and sun in due time; I do not orchestrate the intricacies of ecosystems. Only God, our Creator and Sustainer of all life can truly care for His creation. We as His people are called to steward and take joy in the bounty and diversity of the harvest God has so graciously given us in His mercy. In the same way, as members of the church, we do not change people; only the Holy Spirit is capable of that. Our job in the world is to “plant” a desire for a deeper knowledge of God, “water” through encouragement and fellowship, and steward all that we have for the glory of our God.

We foster a Fellowship of Sowing more often than we realize. For me, this is something I tangibly do every day. I grow food that people buy directly from me who in turn create beautiful meals to share with others. I’m not physically present for every meal I help provide for; but in some mysterious way, I am through the physical presence of the fruit (or vegetables) present on the table. In the same way, I’m not at Leah’s table every week for Sunday lunch, but since we are good friends, I do know that it’s often filled with laughter, joy, and good food around a crowded table. I also know that her loved ones joyfully gather around a table filled with good food—food that, often, I labored over.

My unique relationship with customers through a farmers’ market setting allows me to learn not only the names of my customers, but I also learn about their lives which gives me plenty of opportunities for sowing.

We estimate that about 1,000 people eat at least one meal each week that includes something grown at The Cornucopia. I regularly think about all the people I help feed. Some of them are Christians, some are not. Some are trying to get their diabetes under control, and some are recovering from chemotherapy. Some are concerned about the chemicals that are sprayed on conventional food, and most just want our high quality and delicious food.

People tell me all sorts of things while they shop:

“I pray for you every night.”

“You went to Dordt University? I want to go there too!”

“My husband died.”

“There is no God.”

“I have a new grandchild!”

All these comments are opportunities for me to share the hope-filled Gospel of Christ, opportunities to participate in the Fellowship of Sowing in my daily work.

Think back to Paul’s words to the Corinthians: Paul sowed the seeds of faith and community, Apollos encouraged them along how he was inspired by the Spirit, but God grew that church. We often face temptations to make gods of ourselves and believe that we are able to provide for our own needs. In the same way, it’s enticing to only leech off the Fellowship of Harvesting of others instead of humbly serving others in through a Fellowship of Sowing. Instead of thinking about how we can serve others through conversations in our daily lives, we often think about our own interests. Sometimes, we settle into slothfulness, telling ourselves we’re too busy or too tired to go through the work of creating community. Meanwhile, we don't hesitate to reap the benefits of someone else’s work to cultivate community.

We are not isolated individuals who simply coexist. We were created to be a unified body, recognizing our dependence on God as the source of life and our dependence on our neighbor for the concrete elements of our lives like food, clean water, electricity, homes, and clothes. We must remember our daily dependence on God who works through His people in His creation to give us these good gifts. A true Fellowship of Sowing strives to see the humanity of all the people who make the concrete elements of our lives possible.

Do you know how your food got to your table? Do you know the person who grew it? Can you ask the night janitor about how his family is doing? What’s the name of the person who picks up your garbage? As Christians, we can use every opportunity, even something as seemingly simple as growing food, to introduce people to the Kingdom of God and demonstrate our care for others.