"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth."
(John Wesley letter to Alex Mather, August 6, 1777)

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Trees

Taizé Sermon October 5, 2011

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1)

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this drought is the loss of so many trees. Wherever we go we see trees under drought stress. Trees that are dead or dying, with their leaves turning brown and their limbs breaking off. And when the trees suffer, all of God’s creation suffers. Besides being beautiful and a delight to behold, trees provide food for people and animals. They generate oxygen in the air we that we breathe. They give us shade from the hot sun and a home for God’s creatures. Ancient trees mark boundaries and stand as sentinels to the passage of time.

But all living things need water to thrive. It is the moisture that carries the nutrients up from the earth through the roots, up the tree and then to the leaves. And there in the leaves, God has created the miracle of photosynthesis as those nutrients, water, carbon dioxide and sunlight are converted into food for the tree. From the leaves, the moisture then carries the food throughout the tree, sustaining it and giving it life.

Arborists tell that the signs of drought stress begin in the crown of the trees, as the leaves turn brown and fall. Then, the limbs furthest from the roots begin to die and break. Eventually, the whole tree will die if doesn’t rain. The arborists say that a drought damaged tree takes years to recover. They also tell us that the young trees are most susceptible to drought damage-- trees whose root systems have not developed. The trees that have been damaged by pests or disease are also in danger during a drought, as are trees where we have paved over the root system.

But our Scripture tonight gives us a different image of trees. These trees are healthy and if close our eyes, we can see those trees standing by the edge of the water. Perhaps the trees we remember from tubing down the Comal, or on the Frio River at Garner State Park. The Scripture compares people with trees planted by streams of water.

These are the people who delight in the Lord, and his commandments. These are people who, like those trees, have deep roots of faith. Just as the leaves of those trees do not wither, the faithful prosper and bear fruit in their season. And the water they are planted by is not just any water. It is living water. Water that forever quenches thirst and carries the nutrients of God’s love throughout those trees.

This prosperity, this living water, is not just for them. Because their joy is in sharing this good news with others. Their joy is in providing rest for others and perhaps a little shade for those having a hard time. And as God’s people who have been nourished by that living water, we must be watchful. We must stand guard. Because there are those young trees out there that are at risk in this world. They need special care because their roots haven’t had time to develop. They aren’t planted close enough to the living water. Their trunks are not yet strong enough to withstand the hurricanes of life. Our job, as the faithful, happy people of God is to carry the living water to them so they too can grow strong. To protect them as best as we can from the strong winds of this world.

Then, there are those people, who are like trees that are sick or damaged. They suffer from the diseases of addiction, the ravages of idolatry, the pestilence of sin or the storms of hate that threaten to uproot them. More than anything, they need to know how much God loves them. They need to know about grace and forgiveness. They need to know that others care about them and are willing to help.

And finally, there are those people who are like trees whose roots have been paved over by worry and loneliness, and who are starving for a kind word. They just need some tender care, someone to help tear away the hardtop that life can lay down.

There is also a message of self care here for the workers of God. For you and for me. Drought can come into our lives as we work so hard to care for others. Don’t stray far from the living water. As John Wesley said, attend to all of the means of grace. Be in and of the Holy Scripture. Read and ponder the Living Word of God each day. Be fed by the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Worship together, and draw strength from each other. My friends, there is work for those of us who are like those trees in the Psalm; for those of us nurtured in faith, there are these others that we are to care for. There is too much to be done for us to allow a drought to weaken us.

All as we wait for that glorious time, when the tree of life has come full circle from the Garden of Eden, to its place in the New Jerusalem.
As we close, hear these words of assurance from Chapter 22 of the Revelation:

"1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever."

Amen.