The Land is an outdoor faith community dedicated to connecting with and caring for all of Creation!

Our community is open ALL! The labels and distinctions of society tend to divide us, at The Land we call on God’s love to unite us.

We take a few moments to release the pressures of our lives, bringing ourselves completely to this time and space and readying ourselves to receive that which divine presence has for us to share.

In the lightning flash across the sky
His mighty pow’r I see,
And I know if He can reign on high,
His light can shine on me.

I’ve seen it in the lightning, heard it in the thunder,
And felt it in the rain;
My Lord is near me all the time,
My Lord is near me all the time.

When the thunder shakes the mighty hills
And trembles ev’ry tree,
Then I know a God so great and strong
Can surely harbor me.

I’ve seen it in the lightning, heard it in the thunder,
And felt it in the rain;
My Lord is near me all the time,
My Lord is near me all the time.

When refreshing showers cool the earth
And sweep across the sea,
Then His rainbow shines within my heart,
His nearness comforts me.

I’ve seen it in the lightning, heard it in the thunder,
And felt it in the rain;
My Lord is near me all the time,
My Lord is near me all the time.

Ananias and Sapphira

But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!” Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him.

After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.

At The Land, communion is an open table where all are invited to participate.

The Sower’s Song

Oh God, I am furrowed like the field
Torn open like the dirt
And I know that to be healed
That I must be broken first
I am aching for the yield
That You will harvest from this hurt

Abide in me
Let these branches bear You fruit
Abide in me, Lord
As I abide in You

So I kneel
At the bright edge of the garden
At the golden edge of dawn
At the glowing edge of spring
When the winter’s edge is gone
And I can see the color green
I can hear the sower’s song

Abide in me
Let these branches bear You fruit
Abide in me, Lord
Let Your word take root
Remove in me
The branch that bears no fruit
And move in me, Lord
As I abide in You

As the rain and the snow fall
Down from the sky
And they don’t return but they water the earth and bring they forth life
Giving seed to the sower, bread for the hunger
So shall the word of the Lord be with a sound like thunder
And it will not return, it will not return void
We shall be led in peace
And go out with joy
And the hills before us
Will raise their voices
And the trees of the field will clap their hands as the land rejoices
And instead of the thorn now
The cypress towers
And instead of the briar the myrtle blooms with a thousand flowers
And it will make a name
Make a name for our God
A sign everlasting that will never be cut off
As the earth brings forth sprouts from the seed
What is sown in the garden grows into a mighty tree
So the Lord plants justice, justice and praise
To rise before the nations till the end of days

As the rain and the snow fall
Down from the sky
And they don’t return but they water the earth and they bring forth life
Giving seed to the sower, and bread for the hunger
So shall the word of the Lord be with a sound like thunder
And it will not return, it will not return void
It will not return, it will not return void
It will not return, it will not return void
We shall be led in peace
And go out with joy

And the sower leads us
And the sower leads us
And the sower leads us

We invite you to participate in nurturing The Land by adding compost to our compost bin (info here), supporting us financially and by spending time in fellowship.

Unless the Lord builds up the house
Its builders toil in vain
Unless He keeps the city safe
They vainly watch maintain

In vain you rise before the dawn
And late hours vainly keep
That you may toil for food to eat
He gives his loved ones sleep

Sons are a precious heritage
A blessing from the Lord
The children that are born to us
Are truly His reward

Like arrows in a warriors hand
Are children of one’s youth
The man whose quiver’s full of them
Is blessed by God in truth

Such men will not be put to shame
That will not be their fate
When they contend against their foes
Who face them in the gate

Unless the Lord builds up the house
Its builders toil in vain
Unless He keeps the city safe
They vainly watch maintain

We invite you to share in the joy and wonder of creation by taking a reflective walk around The Land. Our path was is a loving and generous gift from the Youth Group at McFarlin UMC, Norman, Oklahoma!

A time of sharing the Divine love of Creation and each other…

Compassion

Zechariah 7:9-10

This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

Isaiah 30:18

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

Creativity

Proverbs 22:29

Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before obscure men.

Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving Christ.

Beauty

1 Peter 3:3-4

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

• Any questions or things that struck you about the reading this week?
• Where do you express creativity in your life?
• What is an act of compassion you have witnessed recently?
• What acts of compassion are you drawn to perform?
• What is the feeling of beauty?
• How do these relate to each other