\nHow does a giant sequoia remain standing for not years, not centuries, but for thousands of years?
\n
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\nGeneral Sherman is the world\u2019s largest known tree and can be found in the midst of Sequoia National Park. As Lyons and Barkhauer remind us, it is:
\n\u201c\u2026not the tallest, nor the widest, nor the oldest, but don\u2019t let the lack of superlatives lower your expectations. General Sherman is the largest by volume and by weight. A sign at the tree\u2019s base states it could hold enough water to fill almost ten thousand bathtubs, and that it weighs about 1,385 tons. Estimated at 2,200 years old [my note \u2013 that\u2019s older than Jesus!]<\/em> \u2013 the tree is more than 36 feet across at the base and towers 274 feet above you.\u201d (America\u2019s Holy Ground, p. 201-202)<\/p>\n
Think about what that single tree has withstood\u2026
\nEarthquakes.
\nWildfires.
\nDrought.
\nHigh Winds.
\nHumans.
\nAnd still it remains standing.<\/p>\n
What can we learn from trees like this?
\nWhat lessons do they have to teach us?<\/p>\n
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I think the first lesson is that you have to have strong roots and a firm foundation upon which to stand.
\nImagine the depth and the breadth of the structure that is required to support such an immense tree.
\nFor millennia those roots have sunk deep into the rocky soil, pushing water and nutrients up the trunk to provide growth.
\nWithout a strong foundation, it would topple over and collapse.<\/p>\n
And we are the same way.
\nWithout the foundations in our lives that give us support and structure, we, too, would collapse.
\nThese verses from the gospel of Matthew come at the end of three chapters filled with instruction and encouragement about how we should live in the world.
\nThe \u201cSermon on the Mount\u201d teaches us what it means to be truly blessed\u2026
\nThat the Kingdom belongs to the hungry, the hopeless, and the grieving\u2026
\nthe humble, the harassed, and the peacemakers
\nJesus tells us how to share God\u2019s love with others\u2026
\nAnd he stretches our understanding of the law so that it is fulfilled not by adhering to the letter, but the spirit\u2026
\nHe reminds us that it is not enough not to kill, we should not even be angry at one another\u2026
\nThat we should not simply refrain from adultery, we should not objectify others\u2026
\nTurn the other cheek\u2026
\nLove your enemies\u2026
\nStop showing off your faith for others and actually turn to God\u2026
\nDon\u2019t worry about yourself, but seek God\u2019s kingdom\u2026
\nDon\u2019t judge others, but pay attention to the fruit you are producing in the world\u2026<\/p>\n
And then Jesus concludes this amazing teaching by saying:
\n\u201cThese words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life\u2026 improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on.\u201d (7:24 MSG).
\nThese are not adornments or afterthoughts.
\nThese are the roots.
\nThis is the foundation.
\nThis is the solid rock upon which everything else rests.
\nIf these principles have not already formed the basis for our faith, for our lives, for our souls\u2026 then when the winds and rain and conflict and turmoil come our way\u2026 of course it will all fall apart.
\nWithout a deep commitment towards others, a deep well of mercy and forgiveness, a deep sense that God is with us in the midst of anything we face, we will \u201cbecome disoriented, unsteady, and unsure.\u201d (p.203)
\nWe will become angry and reactive and defensive when the winds of change or turmoil or conflict begin to blow.<\/p>\n
And if that is how you are feeling in your own life\u2026 then we can start by shoring up those foundations.<\/p>\n
We have to care for our own bodies and minds.
\nJust recently, we sent home to our families a \u201cGuide to Self-Care\u201d in the midst of this pandemic.
\nIt contains very simple reminders of things we can do like get enough sleep, take time for friends, leave room for our feelings, and breathing.
\nThere can be so much pressure and stress blowing in our lives right now and these simple things ground us in the moment.<\/p>\n
We also can turn to and remember our own history and the people who have come before us.
\nToday, on Father\u2019s Day, we are invited to remember the wisdom of our fathers and grandfathers and generations past who have taught us how to get through difficult moments.
\nFrom simple things like how they helped us to get back on the bike when we fell off\u2026
\nTo their own experiences with the civil rights movement, or how they responded to the polio epidemic, or how they kept going in the midst of a loss in their life\u2026<\/p>\n
Our forefathers, our ancestors, those roots of our family tree\u2026 they are a source of love and hope and strength during these tough times.<\/p>\n
And then, we need to strength our faith foundations.
\nTurn to scripture.
\nSpend time in prayer.
\nJoin a small group to re-center your faith.
\nNurture the roots, the foundation, the ground in which you live and move and have your being.
\nThat was Paul\u2019s prayer for the church in Ephesus.
\nHe was seeking to strengthen their faith and help them withstand whatever controversies or oppression they might face and so he prayed that God might give them strong roots in love.
\nHe prayed that they would open their hearts and allow Christ to make a home there.
\nHe believed that this would create a firm foundation of rooted and grounded faith. That it would build deep sustained roots would allow them to be able to grasp the width and length and height and dept of God\u2019s love.
\nAnd he believed with these strong foundations, these amazing roots, that God could do amazing, miraculous, holy and wonderful things through the church.
\nThat is my prayer for you, too.
\nThat our own foundation and roots might be strengthen by one another and by God so that no matter what comes our way, our faith and our community will not topple.<\/p>\n
But the other lesson that I think we have to learn from these trees is that what can appear to adversity can actually be the source of new life. We are learning that strong roots and solid foundations provide resiliency in the midst of storms that creates new opportunities.<\/p>\n
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I learned this week that giant sequoias need wildfires in order to continue as a species.
\nThey are remarkably fire-resistant\u2026 some with bark up to thirty inches thick.
\nBut more than that \u2013 without the intense heat of the fire, the sequoia cones cannot open to release their seeds.
\nFire also clears away any of the clutter and overgrowth on the forest floor, creating space for seedlings to germinate and survive.<\/p>\n
I think some of what we are seeing in our world today feels like that dangerous wildfire coming at us faster than we can run.
\nThere is a lot of anger and frustration spilling out and we don\u2019t know how to put it out or stop it or what to do with it.
\nBut maybe it is a question of reframing.<\/p>\n
First \u2013 where have I become afraid or anxious or reactive when I am actually more protected and safer than I thought?
\nAdam Hamilton reminds us in his book, \u201cAfraid\u201d that facts are more important than fear.
\nTaking the time to get the facts, to understand another perspective, to prepare yourself and create a plan\u2026 all of these are ways we can build up that think bark of protection that allows us to stand resilient in the midst of the turmoil.<\/p>\n
Second \u2013 What is being revealed that we couldn\u2019t see before with all of the clutter? As we notice things related to the coronavirus, or racism, or institutional and systemic practices\u2026 sometimes we get frustrated that they were not brought up or handled before.
\nBut some things can only be seen in moments of chaos and conflict when everything else is cleared out of the way.
\nThis moment has helped families to find respite from their busy schedules.
\nIt has helped us to recognize the lonely and vulnerable who are our neighbors.
\nIt has uncovered some of the problems with how we interact with one another we were too busy or distracted to see.<\/p>\n
Third \u2013 we are seeing the seeds of this time and changes and new life and opportunities springing up all around.
\nCommon sense reforms that make communities and police officers safer.
\nReal conversations about our history of racism.
\nWe are building new ways of reaching out to one another like our caring connections groups.
\nEven online worship opportunities are impacting more people than we ever would have done had we remained within our walls.<\/p>\n
God does not promise that wind and fire and turmoil and conflict will not come our way. Text: Matthew 7:24-25; Ephesians 3:14-19 Who holds you up? What keeps you from toppling? In the midst of storms and fire and viruses and racism and accusation and conflict, how do you not fall apart? When you are juggling kids and work and zoom meetings and the dog and the lawn needs mowed what are…<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThey most certainly will.
\nBut God has invited us to claim a faith, to be grounded in love, to build our lives upon a firm foundation that can weather the woes of the world.
\nAnd with God\u2019s help\u2026 with Christ living in our heart\u2026 with the Spirit providing strength\u2026 we lives we have built will not fall apart.
\nAs Paul writes:
\nGlory to God in the church!<\/em>
\nGlory to God in the Messiah, Jesus!<\/em>
\nGlory down all the generations!<\/em>
\nForever and always.<\/em>
\nAmen.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"