Faithful gather again for blessing of seed, tractors

Pastor Joel Xavier’s flock is small but faithful at Pleasant Corners United Methodist​ Church.
About 30 parishioners and friends stood solemnly on Sunday as Xavier blessed bags of soybeans, and farm equipment large and small, new and old, during the fourth-annual blessing of seed and tractors at the country church west of Kasson.
He prayed for the farmers’ safety in this new growing season, for a good harvest, for FFA members and teachers, and for the farm families and their culture, “a part of the diversity of the world.”He hung a small wooden cross on the mirror of each piece of equipment – about eight farm vehicles in all.
A message on each read: “God’s blessing. A time to plant, a time to reap.”
“It is a blessing of the work of agriculture,” Xavier said. “Of course there’s the Biblical background, agriculture and society. So many of the images connect with that. In different times we pray for doctors and nurses, we pray of course for the president of the United States, the governor. We frequently have these people in our prayers. But farmers are just as important as everyone else. So at this time, the beginning of their year, we want to acknowledge their part and have God’s blessing on that.”