A Solid Foundation

"When He (Jesus) disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things...Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all...Then he made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray." - Mark 6:34, 41, 45-46

Another week has passed here at the Farm and with that, another group of 35 high school students have been sent back to their hometowns with the commission to bring their experiences here on the mountain to those they return to live with. At first this may seem like a daunting task and to some it may seem impossible. How can the experiences at the Farm be brought home to those who have never been here? Is Nazareth Farm only possible because you are living within a group of believers all there for the same purpose? At a quick glance it may be easy to make that argument. However, when you take a deeper look you will find that Nazareth Farm is a result of believers living and working on a solid foundation, the four cornerstones. Prayer, simplicity, service and community are the four cornerstones which built the Farm and today they are the four cornerstones which continue to hold it together (30 years now).

It is important to remember that at one point, Nazareth Farm did not exist. This is important because that fact means that Nazareth Farm was created amongst a community of believers and non-believers alike. It was created in the "real world"; the same world in which all of you have returned to after leaving the Farm. This last week during our "life after the Farm" talk on Friday night we asked the volunteers what the challenges were that they faced during the week. One person said it was difficult to live in constant community and to not be allowed as much personal time as they would have liked. Another stated that it was difficult to not take a shower every day. Others stated that the work at the work-site was difficult and still others talked about their realized dependency on time, cell-phones and i-pods.

After reflecting on their difficulties, we asked them to reflect on what it was that helped them continue through those hardships. It was at this moment the cornerstones began to shine. The man who said community was over-bearing made it through by finding time for personal prayer. The lady who stated it was difficult to get used to being dirty said she found comfort by the fact that the whole community was dirty and did not care. Those that had trouble at the work-site said that it was rewarding to see the joy and happiness in the faces of those they served and the ones who found it difficult to let go of their phones, i-pods and watches said they were able to experience God through simple things like nature. Any one of the cornerstones can be overbearing and challenging at times. However, a house (or a life) is not built on one cornerstone. In order to stand strong you need the other three cornerstones to help share the weight of the most difficult cornerstone in your life.

This is something Jesus recognized as well and it is evident in the bible passage given above. Jesus came among a crowd of people and had pity on them because they seemed lost. He began to serve them, and teach them. In other gospels it states that he healed the sick as well. Upon entering a community of people he started with service, the giving of his gifts. Jesus began to build a relationship with the people and recognized that the day was late and that they were getting hungry. He could not have known that unless he was in tune with the communities needs which means that he spent time getting to know them. In order to solve the issue of hunger he instructed his disciples to find some food and to begin the simple act of sharing. He did not feed the crowds wine and fruits and expensive food of his time, but rather the thousands of them shared a simple meal of bread and fish, a meal of a commoner, not a king. He also instructed them to eat only what they needed and once all were full he put none of it to waste and had the leftovers gathered into baskets for later redistribution (or perhaps compost). After a long day of serving the people, building community, and doing both in a simple manner, he left the people for a quiet place to pray on his own. Perhaps he recognized that it took a lot of strength to minister to the people and that he needed prayer to rejuvenate his body.

This week we ask you to reflect on how you can live out the cornerstones in your community? Can you identify a need in your community and how can you find ways to meet that need through service? What cornerstone is most difficult to live out and what cornerstones can assist you in that difficulty? We hope all of you can and are finding ways to live out your experience at Nazareth Farm back at home.

Welcome Home,
Nazareth Farm