Every November, it seems that the boundary between Thanksgiving and Black Friday becomes thinner and thinner—sales begin sooner and obligatory family meals hasten to their end. Black Friday offers an over-abundance of new products, but this surplus is predicated on our shared assumption of scarcity: limited supply, time, and money.
How does a cultural phenomenon such as this shape how we see the world?
Are we still able to remember that we are creatures dependent on the earth to sustain us? And what do creation’s seasonal cycles of life and death—this time of year, decaying leaves strewn across a frost-bitten ground—tell us about abundance and scarcity? What does it mean to work, play, and rest as participants in these rhythms?
Next week, St. Mary of Bethany Parish will host its first ever Commonplace Conversation: an event comprised of a panel discussion and carefully chosen art aimed to engage thoughtfully and beautifully with issues pertinent to our shared human life. The theme of this first event is “The Myth of Scarcity” and it is freely open to the public.
This event will feature a discussion with Jason Adkins (Director of Trevecca’s Urban Farm), Mary Brown (deacon at St. Mary’s), and Kelsey Miller (Program Coordinator for Society of St. Andrew and writer on the Rabbit Room blog), original photography by Joey Bradshaw, and specially selected poetry and music, all interweaving to ask these questions.
When: Thursday, November 15th at 6:30 pm
Where: Wallace Chapel at Christ Church YMCA 15354 Old Hickory Blvd Nashville, TN 37211
Come join us to reflect on how the rhythms in which we find ourselves shape our minds, hearts, and relationships. We hope to see you there!