We blessed the fields. Then we planted them.

The last ten days at Plainsong Farm have had quite a lot of activity. Let me be clear: almost all of that activity is due to the hard work of Mike and Bethany! Bethany's update from May only scratches the surface of everything that has happened on the land.When God called me to start a farm, I really did not know what that meant. (I still don't always know.) I knew that the church had gotten too far away from care for Creation as an integral part of discipleship. And I knew that I had a lot to learn about my place in Creation. I had a feeling that being part of a farm would teach me.As we walked the land on May 21st, praying over the property and sprinkling it with holy water, I started to get a glimpse of what I had to learn.

I'm so grateful for the help of the Rev. Brian Coleman in planning and leading the service. Here, he takes a turn blessing the fields. Photo credit: DJ Viernes.[/caption]One of those gathered later told me, "It struck me as we were walking the property that we were doing what generations of people had done before us."I'm glad she felt that way because in all honesty, as we walked the property I mostly thought, "What do I need to do next? is this going okay?" What I needed to learn: being in the moment.

Walking the boundaries of the property. Photo credit: DJ Viernes.[/caption]I shouldn't have worried. It went beautifully. We had hoped for about twenty people, and about twenty people came. We had hoped for volunteer youth to help lead, and volunteer youth helped lead. (Okay, one of them was my son; he was "volun-told.")And at the end, in a pine grove, we remembered God's gift to us in Christ through the sharing of bread and wine - and to include the United Methodists among us, grape juice too.

The prayers before the sharing of the peace. Photo credit: DJ Viernes.[/caption]I drove home marveling at what God had done. Three years ago Mike and Bethany and I hadn't met yet and Plainsong Farm didn't exist. Now it's here, and feeds people: body and soul. I am in awe of this reality. None of us could have done it on our own; God did it by bringing us together.But my "aha!" moment didn't come until a week later, when we were planting out all those tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers that Bethany wrote about (in the fields that Mike prepped... a lot of fields!).

This must have been the first thing I picked up because my hands are clean.[/caption]I was sitting at the side of a row and suddenly realized: I was here a week ago! I walked by this field and prayed for it to be fruitful. It was sprinkled with holy water. And now I am back here again, working in it, laboring to bring to life the prayer I offered.Instead of thinking about my place in Creation, I wasinmy place in Creation. I had a sense that I belonged - not just to a family or a community, but to a transcendent Creator who had made me and everything around me.It might be that this feeling is impossible to express in words.But I'll tell you one thing: it was amazing. And you're invited.Come to the farm - pray with us at Sabbath on the Farm, plant and tend with us on our volunteer days.May this place enable you to discover your place in creation.(Programs and events listings are here.)

‍