LESSONS FROM THE TREES
Snowfall after recent snowfall in south central Wisconsin is desperately
trying to convince us that winter is here to stay. As for us at St. John’s,
we’re already enjoying the sprouts of a beautiful spring season. We are
growing. We’re growing in our worship participation. We’re growing in
guests joining us in God’s mission. We’re growing in generosity.
More than the numbers, we’re growing deeper in faith as we “unbind our
hearts” through prayer and small groups. We are rooting ourselves in
God’s love. In new and exciting ways, we are connecting in faithfriendships with each other. Living things grow, and the church is alive
and well, including our St. John’s Lutheran.
The biggest living thing on earth – other than the church – is the Giant
Sequoia tree, also known as the redwood. These majestic trees will climb
to heights of 300 feet and expand up to 30 feet in diameter. Their age is
also impressive, up to 3,000 years old, meaning some were living when
Jesus was walking the shores of Galilee. The General Sherman Tree of
Sequoia National Park, California, is the largest of its kind and weighs
2500 metric tons. (That’s over 5.5 million pounds! Think NASA’s new
space rocket.)
Resilient would be another word to describe Giant Sequoia trees. They
stand tall and persevere for hundreds of years, surviving raging fires,
violent storms, and fierce winds. How do they do it? How do they survive
through their trials and tribulations? The answer is in their roots. They
have great roots. Surprisingly, the redwoods have a comparatively
shallow root system. They are certainly much taller above ground than
below. Their roots dive only 14 feet, even at maturity, and without a
taproot. But Giant Sequoias live only in groves, entangling their root
systems with each other and covering up to an entire acre of earth. In
other words, these trees support each other. They are completely
interconnected. They couldn't survive alone.
Neither can we. We humans need each other. We were never meant to
go it alone or make it on our own. In the story of creation, in Genesis 1,
God created sun and moon, land and water, plants and animals. And God
said it was good. But in chapter 2, something was not good. The Lord God
said “it is not good” for the human to be alone. God recognized the vital
importance of community. So God gave us one another.
When Jesus walked the shores of Galilee, he gathered people together.
Crowds assembled, and a small group of disciples was formed. He told us,
“where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them”
(Matthew 18:20). Jesus gives us to one another, and God calls us to live
with and for each other. There is no such thing as a lone Christian. To be
a Christian is to be a community. Messy though it can be, it is together
that we live and grow. Together we trust Jesus and care for others.
Together we stand tall and persevere through the trials and tribulations
and joys of life.
Pastor and author Steve Goodier writes, “When I'm not doing well, it is
often because I am going it alone. I don't always let others in. I forget to
ask for help; I keep my problems to myself. And though I may not see it,
others around me might be doing the same thing.”
We would do well to take our lessons from the Giant Sequoia trees. It
might be time to let someone else hold us up for awhile. Or perhaps
someone needs our support. Our “Unbinding Your Heart” small groups
are one way we are growing in our connectedness. All our times of
fellowship are opportunities to spread our roots with one another.
Rooted with you,
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and
good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit
of doing, but let us encourage one another more and more."
(Hebrews 10:24-25)