A Garden's Tale: Moving from Crisis to New Life through Lent What would the garden say to us about life, death, and resurrection if we were just willing to listen? Throughout the seasons, the garden witnesses the miraculous grace that the Lord offers to all of us – moving from chaotic brokenness to abundant new life through Christ’s Resurrection. Using the appointed Lenten scriptures and horticultural images as a primer, let’s explore the garden’s seasons of Crisis; Burial; Fertilizer/Living Water; Light; and New Life. 3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6
a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; 7
a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-­‐11 NRSV There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: 2-­‐8 A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace. 9-­‐13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—
busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift. 14 I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear. 15 Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. That’s how it always is with God. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-­‐15 The Message (MSG) Definition of crisis plural crises \ˈkrī-­‐ˌsēz\ 1. 1a : the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever b : a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function c : an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life a midlife crisis 2. 2 : the decisive moment (as in a literary plot) The crisis of the play occurs in Act 3. 3. 3a : an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome a financial crisis the nation's energy crisis b : a situation that has reached a critical phase the environmental crisis the unemployment crisis https://www.merriam-­‐webster.com/dictionary/crisis • a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger. "the current economic crisis" synonyms: emergency, disaster, catastrophe, calamity; predicament, plight, mess, trouble, dire straits, difficulty, extremity • a time when a difficult or important decision must be made. "a crisis point of history" synonyms: critical point, turning point, crossroads, watershed, head, moment of truth, zero hour, point of no return, Rubicon, doomsday; • informal crunch; climacteric "the situation had reached a crisis" • the turning point of a disease when an important change takes place, indicating either recovery or death. Origin -­‐ late Middle English (denoting the turning point of a disease): medical Latin, from Greek krisis ‘decision,’ from krinein ‘decide.’ The general sense ‘decisive point’ dates from the early 17th century. Serotiny is an ecological adaptation exhibited by some seed plants, in which seed release occurs in response to an environmental trigger, rather than spontaneously at seed maturation.[1] The most common and best studied trigger is fire. However, the term serotiny refers more broadly to plants that release their seeds over a long period of time, irrespective of the trigger or whether release is spontaneous.[1] In this sense, the term is synonymous with bradyspory. Possible triggers include • Death of the parent plant or branch (this death can be caused by fire). This form of serotiny has been termed necriscence. • Wetting (hygriscence) • Warming by the sun (soliscence) • Drying atmospheric conditions (xeriscence) • Fire (heat, essentially: pyriscence) • Fire followed by wetting (pyrohydriscence) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotiny Serotiny and the Serotinous Cone Some tree species delay seed fall because their cones are dependent on a brief blast of heat to release seed. This dependency on heat during the seed production cycle is called "serotiny" and becomes a heat trigger for seed drop that may take decades to occur. Natural fire has to happen to complete the seed cycle. Although serotiny is primarily caused by fire, there are other seed release triggers that may work in tandem including periodic excess moisture, conditions of increased solar heat, atmospheric drying and parent plant death. Trees that have a serotinous tenancy in North America include some species of conifers including pine, spruce, cypress and sequoia. Serotinous trees in the southern hemisphere include some angiosperms like eucalyptus in fire-­‐prone parts of Australia and South Africa. The Process of Serotiny Most trees drop their seeds during and just after the ripening period. Serotinous trees store their seeds in the canopy via cones or pods and wait for an environmental trigger. This is the process of serotiny. Desert shrubs and succulent plants depend on periodic rainfall for seed drop but the most common trigger for serotinous trees is periodic fire. Natural periodic fires occur globally, and on average, between 50 to 150 years. With naturally occurring periodic lightning fires over millions of years, trees evolved and developed the ability to resist high heat and eventually began using that heat in their reproduction cycle. The adaptation of thick and flame-­‐resistant bark insulated the tree's internal cells to direct flame and used the rising indirect heat from fire on cones to drop seed. In serotinous conifers, mature cone scales are naturally sealed shut with resin. Most (but not all) seeds stay in the canopy until the cones are heated to 122-­‐140 degrees Fahrenheit (50 to 60 degrees Celsius). This heat melts the resin adhesive, the cone scales open to expose the seed that then drop or drift after several days to a burned but cool planting bed. These seeds actually do best on the burnt soil available to them. The site provides reduced competition, increased light, warmth and a short term increase of nutrients in the ash. http://forestry.about.com/od/forestfire/a/Serotiny.htm Numerous species that inhabit fire-­‐dependent ecosystems have evolved reproductive strategies to adapt to factors associated with fire (Van Staden et al. 2000). These adaptations are particularly evident in seeds that respond to the physical (i.e. temperature and light) and/or chemical (smoke, gas, nutrients) germination cues associated with fire. In fact, many species have evolved barriers to seed germination that are overcome only by fire-­‐related cues (Keeley 1998). https://web.extension.illinois.edu/illinoissteward/openarticle.cfm?ArticleID=453 Giant Sequoias and Fire The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is truly the most awesome species in the Sierra Nevada ecosystem. As in other living communities, sequoia groves -­‐ and the mixed conifer forests that contain them -­‐ have evolved with and adapted to natural processes that must continue if the community is to remain healthy. Fire is one of the major processes essential to the health of giant sequoia groves. In the early 1960s, Dr. Richard Hartesveldt explored the connection between fire and sequoia regeneration. His small-­‐scale prescribed fires followed nearly a century of fire suppression, and resulted in the germination of sequoia seeds and the recruitment of sequoia seedlings -­‐ something that had not occurred in the absence of fire. Since those first experiments, researchers have further shown the benefits to sequoias from fire. Dendrochronology has determined that low intensity surface fires swept through the big trees approximately every 5 to 15 years. Sequoias rely on fire to release most seeds from their cones, to expose bare mineral soil in which seedlings can take root, to recycle nutrients into the soil, and to open holes in the forest canopy through which sunlight can reach young seedlings. Sequoias also need fire to reduce competition from species such as white fir (Abies concolor) and Incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), which are shade-­‐tolerant and able to recruit seedlings in heavy litter and duff. Fire suppression has resulted in heavy accumulation of forest litter and the encroachment of thick stands of white fir and incense cedar, both of which compete with sequoias for water and nutrients. A natural fire cycle thins these competing species, and provides suitable conditions for sequoia growth •
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The most massive living thing on our planet, the Giant Sequoia has the largest number of cells interconnected in a single, discrete whole, producing each year new cells by the millions. No other form of life even approaches the massive bulk of the largest of these giants. The Giant Sequoia named The General Sherman Tree reigns supreme as the largest of the living things on earth. This tree is so large that it's seemingly small growth rate of only one millimeter per year yields a volume of new wood equal to that of all the wood found in a 50 foot tree! Giant Sequoias are also one of the most enduring living things on the planet with many living over 2,000 years and some living past 3,000 years, or 40 human lifetimes. The world’s largest trees are also the world’s fastest growing trees. To fully comprehend how tall it stands, it is equivalent to a 30 story building in height and a 3 story building in width (trunk only). Giant Sequoias can survive in less than 3 feet (1 meter) of soil by spreading their roots far from the tree, up to 300 feet (100 meters). That such mammoth trees have such shallow root depth is astonishing. How do such trees remain upright without a deep anchoring system? Giant Sequoias are extremely well-­‐balanced and can notoriously maintain their equilibrium regardless of difficult conditions. The complex intertwining of roots helps support these huge trees. Sequoias help each other. Giant Sequoias do not compete with each other for resources, rather their huge root systems fuse together and they share resources. Giant Sequoias triumph over the natural challenges that often kill other forest trees. For example, Giant Sequoias are drought resistant, disease resistant, insect resistant and fire resistant. Giant Sequoias are sun worshipers, yet annually each tree must absorb vast amounts of water. When a Giant Sequoia falls in the forest, witnesses say that a river of ice water pours out. The cinnamon-­‐colored bark of a Giant Sequoia contains one of its greatest secrets to success. The cinnamon color comes from “tannic acid” which is found in the bark and the wood of a Sequoia, and this is why Sequoias are often called “Redwoods”. Although many trees contain some tannin, the high content in Sequoias is largely responsible for the tree’s resistance to disease, insect infestation and fire. Sequoias are thick-­‐skinned. The bark of the Giant Sequoia is generally thicker than that of any other species of the tree on earth, and this heavy bark is a major factor contributing to the tree’s longevity. Sections of the bark will exceed two feet in thickness. Giant Sequoias, like most other trees, grow as long as they live. Although upward growth usually is completed within the first 800 years of life, Sequoias continue to grow thicker throughout their long lives. Sequoias are extremely fruitful. The average mature Giant Sequoia produces approximately 2,000 cones each year. Since there is an average of 200 seeds per cone, 400,000 seeds could be released from each tree each year. With an average of three mature trees per acre, over a million seeds are produced per acre per year in most Sequoia groves. •
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Giant Sequoias can provide food for themselves (and others). The constant rain of bark, twigs, cones, and their subsequent decomposition by soil organisms maintains a dynamic balance by constantly returning nutrients to the soil. Believe it or not, Giant Sequoias are dependent on fire for survival. Studies revealed that fire could be used as a management tool, at least in small areas, and that it would not only reduce fire hazard, but would stimulate the regeneration of Giant Sequoias in many ways. Scientists confirmed that Giant Sequoia reproduction effectively dropped to zero in groves where fires were not allowed to burn. Not only is the Giant Sequoia adapted to live with fire, it gains benefit from the association. For example, rapid growth occurs after a fire. Rising heat from a fire dries out the hanging Sequoia cones which open up, allowing seeds to rain by the millions. These seeds land on cleared soil fertilized by ash. On soil left bare by fire, they can take root. Giant Sequoia seed germination naturally occurs best in fire-­‐burned, mineral-­‐rich soils. Sequoia seedlings are much more likely to survive where fire burned hottest. Clusters of Giant Sequoias may be found where fire once burned very hot, called a Hot Spot. Because the shade canopy is destroyed, those remaining plants that can tolerate high light intensities will be favored. The Giant Sequoia is such a plant. Giant Sequoias are Fire-­‐Resistant, but not Fireproof. The thicker bark will not hold a flame, but the bark can be seared through when accumulations of fuel beneath the tree burn for a long time. The deep and long fire scars that can be seen on many Giant Sequoia trunks are probably due to the heat of the burning, less fire-­‐resistant adjacent trees. Sequoias Heal. Giant Sequoias have an amazing ability to heal when injured. Often despite severe fire damage (some burned completely hollow) Giant Sequoias can survive for centuries. Continually new wood grows from either side of a fire scar, covering a little more each year until the injury is healed over like new skin on a body. Cross-­‐
sections of logged Sequoias disclose many cases where fire scars have completely healed after the damage was incurred. Sequoias naturally form partnerships. Like most living organisms, the Giant Sequoia does not live alone; it is but one member of a complex association of plants and animals whose continued existence depends on interdependence of physical and living components. For example, the Giant Sequoia lacks the ability to drop its own cones; a mature Sequoia tree carries thousands of cones. These cones hang on a tree with its seeds sealed up for up to 20 years until something opens them. Two very small forest residents act as seed dispersing agents for the Giant Sequoia: the tiny, Long-­‐horned Wood-­‐boring Beetle and the Chickaree or Douglas Squirrel. Sequoias are interdependent and their well-­‐being depends on reciprocal arrangement of services. Both the beetle and the Chickaree for example receive nourishment from the Giant Sequoia cones, and in exchange they assist the seeds to be released, greatly increasing the chances of Giant Sequoia reproduction. Interestingly, the Chickarees seem to prefer cones between two and five years old, while the beetle apparently prefers cones four years or older. Giant Sequoias can live a long time, but they are not immortal. Soft soils, heavy snows and root damage can unbalance a tree and cause it to eventually fall. • Giant Sequoias provide for future generations. After the death of a Giant Sequoia the tannin acts as a natural preservative which slows the decay process tremendously resulting in a slow-­‐release of nutrients for literally thousands of years. In one case, scientists found a Giant Sequoia lying buried under sediment, undecayed for almost 10,000 years! • You can find Giant Sequoias growing all over the world, yet today they are only native and reproducing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California where dozens of natural Sequoia groves proudly stand. With the Giant Sequoia’s discovery, it was to be expected that people would want to grow these trees. Today there is scarcely a hilltop in Great Britain from which a Sequoia cannot be seen. It is estimated that in Europe there are perhaps as many as 10,000 Giant Sequoias. Giant Sequoias are also known to be growing presently in Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Egypt, Kenya, Japan, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In the Southern Hemisphere, they seem to be indifferent to the reversal of the seasons and grow vigorously, particularly in New Zealand. http://www.sequoiaministriesinternational.org/about-­‐us/learn-­‐more-­‐about-­‐giant-­‐sequoias •
Lent 1 – Crisis Genesis 2:15-­‐17, 3:1-­‐7 • Tree of Knowledge • Fall of Humanity • Choice to Disobey • Eyes Open to Good/Evil • Consequences are Immediate We are created with/for 1. Free Will (but given structure/limits for our benefit) 2. Purpose (to tend the garden/steward God’s creation) 3. Community (created in the communal Imago Dei) 4. Intimacy (NOT shame/fear, but trust/truth) All of G-­‐d’s creation is determined by G-­‐d to be GOOD. Serpent a part of creation, but embodies temptation. Temptation simply asks questions about structure/limits, ultimately calling into question the authority and trustworthiness of YHWH Woman makes a choice based on what she determines to be GOOD. Her disobedience usurps G-­‐d’s authority to set structure/limits in the garden/creation. Additionally, she shares the forbidden fruit with her partner/community. Now the burdens of the consequences are to be shared as well. Consequences are immediate • Vulnerability & Shame (nakedness) • Fear (hiding from Creator) • Estrangement (brokenness in relationships with Beloved and beloved) • Consequences (comfortable & uncomfortable ripple out throughout creation) Romans 5:12-­‐19 • Sin of Adam/ To be like G-­‐d • Redemption of Christ/Becomes man • Communal Consequences for Sin • Disobedience/Transgression/Judgement ! Condemnation/Separation • Righteousness/Obedience/Reconciliation ! Redemption/Reunion Pauline Adam Christology – JC is the new Adam; universal impact of Adam’s sin leads to brokenness and “death” through HOLY NO; ripples of universal consequences leads to new life through HOLY YES • Brokenness of humanity predates the Law given to Moses • Law a gift to reestablish the structure/limits for our benefit & articulate our brokenness • NOT a theology of universal sin, but the universal nature of our brokenness •
YHWH reaches out to us in spite of creation’s rejection/attempted usurpation of G-­‐d. In holy, cosmic reversal, Christ’s redemption of all creation ripples out through the Cross/Resurrection. All of G-­‐d’s creation is GOOD. Brokenness enter world through Adam/Eve. Decisions/Actions have consequences (comfortable & uncomfortable) that ripple out throughout our relationships b/c by our very created-­‐ness we are COMMUNIAL. ( Theory of Epigenetic Inheritance: the idea that environmental factors can affect the genes of your children https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/21/study-­‐of-­‐holocaust-­‐
survivors-­‐finds-­‐trauma-­‐passed-­‐on-­‐to-­‐childrens-­‐genes and http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily_videos/can-­‐trauma-­‐be-­‐passed-­‐to-­‐next-­‐generation-­‐
through-­‐dna/) Isaiah 5:1-­‐7 NRSV 5
And now I will tell you 5Let me sing for my beloved what I will do to my vineyard. my love-­‐song concerning his vineyard: I will remove its hedge, My beloved had a vineyard and it shall be devoured; on a very fertile hill. I will break down its wall, 2
He dug it and cleared it of stones, and it shall be trampled down. 6
and planted it with choice vines; I will make it a waste; he built a watch-­‐tower in the midst of it, it shall not be pruned or hoed, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and it shall be overgrown with briers and he expected it to yield grapes, thorns; but it yielded wild grapes. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 3
And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem 7
and people of Judah, For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts judge between me is the house of Israel, and my vineyard. and the people of Judah 4
What more was there to do for my are his pleasant planting; vineyard he expected justice, that I have not done in it? but saw bloodshed; When I expected it to yield grapes, righteousness, why did it yield wild grapes? but heard a cry! Pauline Theology of Agricultural Extention – Christ, the Master Gardener, tames the wild vineyard that the original stewards neglected by pruning/replanting an ordered/structured garden. Furthermore, the Gardener becomes the initial seed buried for new growth as an example to the rest of the garden of healthy growth & propagation. Matthew 4:1-­‐11 • After Baptism • 40 days in the wilderness • Temptation • Synoptic Account of Temptation– to see together with a common view Period of 40 days of struggle/preparation echoes experience of Israel, Moses, and Elijah…Lent Temptation of Christ is not an indication of weakness, instead a testimony to strength. He was driven into the wilderness only after the baptismal affirmation and presented with simple questions about structure/limits, ultimately calling into question the authority and trustworthiness of YHWH. (Sound familiar?) Jesus recapitulates Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness. A generation was tested, humbled, and hungered for G-­‐d, ultimately living into the Shema Israel. In the wilderness, lines between personal & communal temptations blur. 1. Bread -­‐ personal hunger/ministry of food to win over masses (Deut 8:3) 2. Signs – personal satisfaction/Use of signs to coerce faith (Deut 6:16) 3. Political power – personal power/geopolitical dominance(Deut 6:13) 4
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-­‐5) Temptations are goods that are disordered, distorted, broken. Jesus was tempted to do the right thing in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons, but ultimately, Jesus’s power & authority is given to him by the Father in response to his obedience and righteousness, not taken by Jesus in order that he might be like G-­‐d, knowing good & evil. Temptation starts as a flicker…but can quickly get out of control…like a forest fire.