12/16/2021
12/16/2021
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last year I offered you a reflection about how the ploughed, bare fields around Brentwood at this time of year were a compelling metaphor for the season of Advent as an opportunity for rest and renewal leading to rebirth and growth. After more than a year as Missioner for Jubilee Farm Church, immersing myself in environmental sustainability and sustainable agricultural practices, learning about how conventional commodity farming damages the environment, all I can think about now as I drive past the bare fields, are the tonnes of carbon released into the atmosphere by the ploughing required to make the nice, clean lines that create the fallow fields. Ploughing releases approximately three tonnes of carbon per hectare (2.47 acres), and depletes the microorganisms that enrich the soil. It is estimated that around twenty percent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes from ploughing. About 11,000 acres of Brentwood is designated agricultural core, pretty much all of it lies fallow at this time of year - ploughed. That is 81,510 tonnes of carbon entering the atmosphere every fall. Given that there is approximately 43 million acres of agricultural land in CA, equating to 318.63m tonnes of catbon released if it was all ploughed, it is no wonder farming is a major contributor to climate change. This is why Jubilee Farm Church hopes to demonstrate another way of farming, a way that is good for the earth as well as good for our stomachs and our souls. No-till farming not only prevents the release of carbon into the atmosphere it also improves the quality of the soil, encouraging biodiversity and water retention – so important in drought stricken California.
We all need fallow time; time to rejuvenate, rest, and heal from the hard work of being a human being living in the world. Advent is an opportunity to do that. But as in agriculture, all fallow time is not created equal. How we prepare for that time, how we spend it, matters. The old ways, the ways we have always done things, do not always work and can sometimes be counterproductive. Our practices of rebirth and renewal need to not only benefit ourselves, but reflect God’s intention for the world God created; to benefit the world and make a difference to all of God’s creation.
As this Advent draws to a close, consider how you normally spend this time of preparation for the birth of the Christ child. What no longer serves you? What is missing? What still brings you joy and makes your heart sing, even after years of doing the same thing, and what needs to change to make a difference not only to yourself but to the people and things around you? Ask yourself where God shows up in your practices. What do you need to change to reorder your life to the coming of Christ? Have you left enough space in the busy holiday season to wait, and watch, and wonder? If not, why not, and what can you do to change that? Not only your life but the life of the world depends on it.
Jane+