surely God is in this place, holy ground Words by Andrew Dreitcer, music by Stephen Iverson, CCLI license No

all: where is our soul when the soil around us withers? reader one: we were made in God’s image, to work and care for the land from from which we and the animals were also created, and yet, most of us have grown distant, unable to know its wisdom (oh, where?)

all: where is our soul when the soil around us withers? reader two: in the building of this nation, indigenous peoples were forced to leave fertile lands, to occupy the most devastated lands in america, even until this day. (o, where?) all: where is our soul when the soil around us withers?

reader one: since the wisdom of the land could not be heard through oppressive means, african men and women were forced to relate to this land and work it as slaves. reader two: today more african american farmers lose land than any other sector in agriculture. a new journey leads many to large cities, to neighborhoods away from nature. Oh, where?

all: where is our soul when the soil around us withers? reader one: unable to compete with international markets and a subsidized agriculture that keeps food prices lower than production costs, thousands of poor small farmers have migrated, abandoning their land to become mere laborers in the united states. reader two: while the gift of food fills the tables, more than twenty thousand farm workers are poisoned each year by pesticides. their immigrant status keeps many silent and medically unattended. oh, where?

all: where is our soul when the soil around us withers? reader one: while our barns are full and there is one and half more food on the planet than we need for every man, woman, and child, seed companies transform natural seeds into engineered ones with the promise of more yields.

reader two: millions of farmers around the world increasingly spend money on expensive seeds that also yield superweeds and superworms, keeping them dependent on industrial pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. When these don’t work, they can’t pay debts and suicide rates increase all around the world. oh, where? all: where is our soul when the soil around us withers?

surely God is in this place, holy ground

joel 2:21-27a

house made of dawn house made of rain, house made of dark mist great God, i make my offering to you house made of evening light house made of pollen i am sorry

restore my feet for me restore my mind for me feeling cool may i walk with lively feelings may i walk restore my legs for me restore my voice for me healed, may i walk as it was with the elders, may i walk

blessed with abundant showers, may i walk may it be beauty before me may it be beauty above me may it be beauty all around me blessed on the trail of pollen, may i walk may it be beauty behind me may it be beauty below me may i always walk in beauty with you, my God Amen.