Common Friars at the Good Earth Farm

 

Saturday April 13th Readings

Acts 6: 1-7 | Psalm 33: 1-5, 18-32 | John 6: 16-21

Jesus Walks on Water

^“16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. ¹⁸ The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. ¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles,^[a] they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” ²¹ Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.”

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Saturday Eucharist Readings for March 29

Job 14:1-14 | Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16 | John 19:38-42

^“38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. ³⁹ Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. ⁴⁰ So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴² So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.” –John 19:38-42

Thoughts on this Text

Two lesser-known characters, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, are examples of what Theologian Sam Wells calls “disciples by night.” These men have day jobs in touchy political situations, and open knowledge of their faith in Christ would threaten their special positions. So instead, Nicodemus approaches Jesus under the cover of darkness to learn from him, and Joseph of Arimathea, who was a member of the jury who convicted Jesus, didn’t show his true allegiance until he offered his personal plot as a burial cave for Jesus’ body.

Can one be a Christian on the quiet? Can one be a ruler by day and worshiper by night?

 

Saturday Eucharist Readings for March 23, 2013

Ezekiel 37:21-28 | John 11:45-53 | Psalm 85:1-7

^“45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary andhad seen what he did, believed in him, ⁴⁶ but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, andthe Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” ⁵¹ He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵² and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.”  –John 11:45-53

Commentary on this text

     “The pain that Jesus confronts is that while some are brought to faith by miracles, others harden their hearts in the face of such a challenge to their sense of reality. They do not want to see; they are blind to reality; they cannot believe that Jesus is really from God, then God will look after them as God has done so often in the past. Their refusal to believe in Jesus makes them refuse to believe in God’s love for the Jewish people.

Why do they refuse to Trust Jesus?

Is it their fear of an uprising and retaliation of the Romans? Is it a fear of change? Is it a fear of losing power and control of the situation? Is it jealousy of Jesus, because so many are going to him?

It is probably a mixture of all these things, which find a home in the dark areas of our own hearts. We, too, can refuse to look at and listen humbly to reality, to read the signs of the Holy Spirit in what is going on in the world and in the church around us. We can also refuse to trust the power of God within us and in others” — Jean Vanier (from Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus through the Gospel of John)

 

Good Earth Farm Internship

Good Earth Farm intern applications now available!

Every year the farm takes on two interns from mid-May to mid-August. The internship program is a major part of our mission. We focus on spiritual growth, vocational discernment, and basic homesteading skills. Interns learn about gardening, carpentry, livestock, dairy processing, bee keeping, cooking, community organizing, and more. Email goodearhtfarm@commonfriars.org for an application. All are welcome to apply regardless of faith background or farm experience.

 

First Saturday Eucharist March 16

Dear Friends,

The Farm wanted to remind those of you who have come to the Eucharist and meal of our re-start date this Saturday March 16th.
Lunch Starting @ 12 noon with the farm Eucharist following @ 1pm.

the readings for this Saturday:

John 6:60-71 |Psalm 33 | Romans 9:1-18

“60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.”

— John 6: 60-71

 

Good Earth Farm Volunteer Days 2013

The Farm’s volunteer days re-start Saturday March 16th. We have also made a change this season which is that the Tuesday Service and meal will now take place on Saturdays starting on March 16th. See you all soon.

 

Earth Bag Construction

A video put together by our Good Earth Farm summer interns Robert and Laura about our work on the interfaith chapel.

 

If Your Looking For Jesus

If You’re Looking for Jesus

Luke 24:36-49

A Sermon Preached April 22, 2012 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Marietta, OH by Kelly Latimore of the Common Friars .

Before I came to Ohio in 2009, in the summer of 2008 I was preparing to leave on a delegation, with several others, to Israel/Palestine. It was my junior Year of college and I had been taking an Arabic course and reading about the conflict that has been going on in that region for thousands of years. The conflict was simply an issue for me, just as poverty, cancer, people with disabilities can all become issues. They are issues until we learn a man’s name on a street corner in St. Louis ,or my aunt who has had bouts of cancer her whole life, or my good friend near our farm who is a fifty year old ten year old who is the happiest man I have ever met. Poverty, Cancer and the developmentally disabled are not issues for me anymore, they are names and faces, and stories. I wanted to meet Palestinians and Israeli’s, Jews and Muslims; I wanted to meet Shepherds and Soldiers, Farmers, and shop owners and hear their stories. It would be the first and only time I have left the country. I was concerned about the history of the place and its people, of knowing enough Arabic and Hebrew to get by. My Mother was more concerned that I was a) not going to get hurt and b) not going to run out of sunscreen. This is what mothers do.

The week before I was to leave a woman in our Church approached me and asked if I would bring a rock back from the “Holy Land” for her. I said I would be happy to.

I Left, and after 2 weeks of eating with people, having conversations always over three or four rounds of coffee and tea, seeing the grand stones on the Jerusalem wall, after seeing a man choke another man before my eyes all over crossing a gravel road, rocks being picked up and thrown, Israeli’s standing in front of Palestinians to protect them and Palestinians doing the same, after seeing Jews and Christians and Muslims praying together, after all that stone throwing and walking on them, mountains made up of them I couldn’t take a rock, even a pebble from that place.

 

Retrospective

It’s well into December now, nearly a  month after my internship at Good Earth ended. There’s been a whirlwind of traveling and touring and visiting. In one week, I traveled well over 2,500 miles. Needless to say Beulah, my trusty red cargo van, got quite a workout.

I’d like to conclude this internship blog the way it started—with photographs. These are images from the journey west in June—unknown roads, heavy summer vegetation, and hot blue skies—in contrast with the road home this November—familiar routes, bare trees, cold gray skies.

This summer I wrote about how, cliche as it may sound, this was the best internship ever. It was. What’s next in my life is still in the works, but I’m sure I’ll travel these roads west again to spend some quality time at Good Earth Farm.

[Stay tuned to the website and farm Facebook page for an informational video that Laura and I made for prospective interns.]

Journey to the farm—June

Journey home—November

Blue Ridge Parkway—June

Blue Ridge Parkway—November

The road west—June

Looking back—November