Like A Tree By Water

What is it about trees? There’s something enduring in the way trees provide refreshment and inspire reverence. Leave the hustle behind, plunge yourself into the woods for a time, and pay attention to what happens to your frame of mind. In the 1980s, the Japanese coined a term– shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”– to describe this common experience as a kind of ecotherapy that promises to improve holistic wellness.[1]

Mary Oliver expresses a similarly high regard for the forest in her poem “When I Am Among the Trees”:

When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,

in which I have goodness, and discernment,

and never hurry through the world

but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, “Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,

“and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine.”[2]

I love that turn in the last stanza. Not only do the trees welcome their guest with grace, but they invite her to find a common purpose with them: “You too [human being] have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.” That is to say, You’re just like us, firmly rooted and filled with life; you too are made to radiate goodness and joy.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Mary Oliver had today’s first reading from Jeremiah in mind when she wrote her poem. “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,” the prophet declares, “[those] whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.” The psalmist employs that same image in the psalm assigned for today, Psalm 1: the faithful “are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper.”

What is it about trees? And why do we identify so readily with them? Whatever it is, people have been trying to put words to it for a long time. Shall we add some words of our own?

Let me invite you to get your hands on a half-sheet of paper, a pen or pencil, and a red hymnal. There should be plenty scattered throughout the pews. Turn to page 339 in your hymnal, where the Psalms begin. There you’ll find a beautiful icon of the tree planted by water. Those of you worshiping online, if you don’t have a red hymnal, let me invite you to picture the icon as I describe it: nourished by a mountain stream, the tree stands tall, its leaves stretching out in all directions to shelter birds and beasts.

Now imagine our assembly this morning, in person and online, as a tree planted by water. Close your hymnal and use it as a surface for sketching. On your half-sheet, draw a flowing stream, and beside it the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves of a tree. What is the source of the stream? What kind of tree do you have in mind, deciduous or coniferous? Take a few moments to fill out the details of your drawing.

Now add some words to your sketch. What is symbolized by the stream, that is, what gifts of God flow through our gathering to nourish us?[3] You might include words like belonging, grace, the word and sacraments, time and talents, or material resources. Take a few moments to name and cherish those gifts that sustain our life together and give us strength for the work of ministry.

Now imagine the flourishing of our tree, the growth that comes naturally and reliably from being rooted near the water. What is symbolized by the leaves or needles that are “filled with light,” to borrow Mary Oliver’s phrase, and the fruits or cones that hang from the branches? You might include words like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and forbearance; that is, if you just want to list the fruit of the Spirit.[4] Or, you can expand on Paul’s list in Galatians: warmth of welcome, thoughtful worship, friendship, feeding, or works of mercy and justice. Take a few moments to name and celebrate the ways that grace comes to expression in our shared life.

Finally, if you’re sitting near someone else, take a few moments to show them your sketch. What do you notice about one another’s drawings? What are the commonalities and the surprises? Upon reflection, do you have anything you’d like to add to your sketch?

Friends, blessed are you in all the circumstances of your life; together with the people in your midst, you stand as a testimony to God’s goodness, like a tree planted by water. God has rooted you firmly in God’s promises and nourished you with gifts, that you might grow in grace, both for your sake and for the sake of the world God loves.

[1] Sunny Fitzgerald, “The secret to mindful travel? A walk in the woods,” www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/forest-bathing-nature-walk-health.

[2] www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/engagement/poetry/poem-a-day/when-i-am-among-trees.

[3] Luther: God is “an eternal fountain who overflows with pure goodness and from whom pours forth all that is truly good” (The Large Catechism, Book of Concord, 389).

[4] Galatians 5:22-23.