Prayer at Garfield Community Farm
July 5th, 2020
Welcome to our farm, it’s your farm, and it’s the neighborhood’s farm! This will be a space for The Open Door to worship at over the next few months and into the future. We’re excited to have you here! If this is your first time at the farm please feel free to ask questions of our deacons, elders and staff. While at the farm please wear a mask when in social settings. Hand washing is available at the Labyrinth entrance and near the port-o-potty.
We hope that the farm can be a place where you connected with God, others and the natural world in meaningful ways. For many, the farm is a place where their food comes from, others experience the farm as a place to serve others, and many experience the farm as a place of spiritual and natural restoration and peace. We hope the farm can be all of those things to you.
While you are welcome to explore the farm, keep in mind that the farm is an unfinished and semi-wild space. Yes, there is a lot of poison ivy. Yes, there are ticks that carry lyme disease, and yes, there are other hazards for small children. The farm is situated on around 25 vacant lots where homes once stood. Throughout the farm you may find remnants of these homes, including uneven ground, bricks and blocks, and broken glass. Please be careful when walking around the farm and exploring.
Entering the Garden: As you enter you might find a bench to sit on in the new amphitheater seating area or around the labyrinth. Take a moment to notice the space around you and settle in for a moment.
Reading the Scripture: Take some time to read the scripture out loud with your family or quietly to yourself. As you read, consider some of the main themes that God brings to light from this passage.
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
11:16 "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
11:17 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.'
11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon';
11:19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;
11:26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
11:28 "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Lay Your Burden’s Down: After reading the passage once or twice you may want to take a turn walking the labyrinth. Wait until no one else is in the labyrinth to take your turn. As you walk the labyrinth consider the end of the passage. What burden have you been carrying that God has not asked you to carry? What burden do you need to release? Jesus says that his burden is light. At the center of the labyrinth you’ll find paper and a marker. Write a word or symbol for your burden and place it in the bucket or basket. As you walk out of the labyrinth consider the yoke that Jesus gives. It is not a yoke free of responsibility, but it is a yoke that Jesus provides with grace and forgiveness, one that is light and easy.
Paying Attention to the Blessing of Presence: In the beginning of our scripture we see that the people have missed God’s presence. People thought Jesus was a drunkard and John the Baptist was a demon. How might we be missing the work of the Spirit all around us because we are distracted and not paying attention? Might the Spirit be calling us to lay down our burdens so that we can see and experience the presence of Christ in our every day lives? Find a quiet place around the farm. Maybe under the big oak tree, on one of the new benches, or someplace else you are drawn to. Pause and take a few moments to attend to your breath. Focusing on breathing calms us, something we often need in order to mentally and emotionally lay our burdens down.
Open your eyes, listen with your ears, breath in through your nose and engage your senses. Right now, in this time of restful awareness, what might God be doing in your midst?
May the birds you hear singing be a gift of joyfulness
May the breeze on your skin be a gift of comfort
May the smell of herbs and plants be a gift of beauty and rest
Take a few moments to thank Jesus for his presence with you and with all of creation. Know that your burdens are taken off of your back and shared with a community, taken off of your back and taken by a God who loves you.
To Listen to This Week’s Sermon Podcast for more thoughts on this week's gospel passage.
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