Work is a sacred activity.
The care and stewardship of qámlexw (Calm, Peaceful Land) is an act of love and learning together. As we build, garden, landscape, thin trees, prepare food and care for creation we trust we are expressing a (w)holistic Christian life where love and hospitality are center stage.
We have found that God is uniquely present in our work, to teach us, form us and cause us to grow in our Christlikeness. It is this rhythm, a rhythm of formation, that roots us in the land and in God’s loving activity in the world.
The seventeenth-century monk Brother Lawrence, before a day’s work as cook in his community, would pray, “O my God … grant me your grace to stay in your presence. Help me in my labors. Possess all my affections.” As he worked, he kept talking to God, listening for His leading and dedicating his work to Him. No matter what was happening, he sought for and found a sense of his Maker’s love. May it be so with us.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
