I have served among people of the earth for nearly eight year now. Most of my congregation is no more than one generation or two away from life on the farm. And that means when harvest comes, most everyone is busy. And farmers often confess that during the harvest, they are not always is the best mood possible. For bringing in the harvest is hard work and there are often many unexpected things to deal with during that time. Some have even admitted to me that their cussing quotient goes way up during harvest. And yet, harvest is really what it is all about for wheat farmers. It is the climax of the entire year. Farmers wouldn’t trade it for anything.
You should know that for pastors, Holy Week is much like harvest. All things being equal, it is for pastors the busiest week of the year. Many push so hard that the following week they 
are likely to give way to the sickness that sneaks its way in when defenses are lowered. While it is not as obviously grueling as harvest to the eyes, writing all those sermons in way that captures the importance of the week while presenting it in a way that will awaken their hearers to a story they have heard many times is exhausting, And yes, there are often unexpected things that come up during the week to be considered and attended to. I won’t reveal anything about the cussing quotient for pastors. But much like the harvest for farmers, Holy Week is what it is all about for pastors. It is the climax of the entire year. We pastors would not trade it for anything.
So if you see your pastor today dragging a little and perhaps coughing and sneezing a little, don’t think for a second that he wouldn’t do it all again. He will with joy again next year bring in the Holy Week harvest. It is what he was sent to do.
