The Wonder of Trees

Welcome and Opening Prayer 

Dear Lord, we thank you for calling us to this place today.  We thank you for this little church, this sanctuary, surrounded by trees, and by nature.

So Lord, in this place, and in the power of the Holy Spirit join us with each other, with nature, and with You.

We thank you for this time out of ordinary time, this sacred time, this blessed time, and ask that you will speak into each of our hearts and minds to fill us with your Spirit, to open us to the simple things of life, to enrich us with awe and wonder as we contemplate the beauty of creation in TREES.

AND SO WE GIVE THIS TIME TO YOU – SET APART FOR YOU.  COME LORD JESUS.

Amen

REFLECTIONS

I chose the theme of “Trees” for this session as I was walking along Bickleigh Down Road, with the trees in full Leaf, a thousand shades of green and yellow glistening in the sunshine; a thousand different shapes of leaves; a thousand colours of bark and twigs.   Well maybe I’m exaggerating, but that was the feeling I had.

For a moment, just think about a tree, any tree, YOUR tree; picture it in your mind, hold the picture…..

Is yours a strong and sturdy tree, standing tall in full leaf, casting mottled shadows on the ground?

Is yours a thin and bendy tree waving in the wind it leaves flattering and flapping and whooshing?

Is your tree a summer tree with luxurious leaves, or a winter tree pair of leaves with the strong form of its branches showing clear?

Is yours a little tree, like a bonsai tree or a young tree just shooting up?

Perhaps you are thinking of a Palm tree

Perhaps you are thinking of a fir tree, evergreen throughout the year, or an autumn tree – splendid in gold and yellow and orange and brown?

The very fact that we can VISUALISE a tree speaks volumes about our closeness to trees, our knowledge of them, of woodland and forest, and gardens and avenues -  we are so blessed to have seen the wonder of God’s creation in the trees we have seen, the trees we see every day, the trees we see in pictures and films and books.

There are about 35 native tree species in the UK and about 60 if you include introduced trees.

Trees make us feel connected to something bigger. A tree can live for hundreds of years. Standing beside an ancient oak gives you a sense that you're looking at something that was here long before you, and may still be here long after you're gone.

Trees make us feel calm. There's something about the movement of leaves, the sound of wind through branches, dappled sunlight and the smell of woodland that naturally slows us down. Humans seem particularly drawn to natural environments.

Although they don't move around, trees feel alive. They are constantly changing, growing, flowering, producing seeds, losing leaves and responding to the seasons. That makes them fascinating to watch.

Trees are tied to our memories and they give us a sense of place. Trees provide shade, food, shelter, materials and oxygen. For most of human history our survival was intimately connected with trees. Our affection for trees may be partly cultural and partly something much older.

Tree roots can grow into and around one another, and neighbouring trees can become connected through fungi in the soil which attach to roots and create an underground network that can link multiple trees. Through these connections, trees can share nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and they can transfer water between plants.

There's a fascinating phenomenon where 2 trees of the same species can sometimes physically fuse their roots together creating a genuine living connection between them. In some forests this can mean that what looked like separate trees are actually partially connected underground.

I often visit the Garden House at Buckland Monachorum, which supports a myriad of different trees, which are different at every visit.

I WILL SHOW YOU SOME PICTURES OF TREES AT THE GARDEN HOUSE.  (On screen)

The 10 most common trees in the UK are, in no particular order: Oak, Spruce, Birch, Pine, Ash, Beech, Sycamore, Hawthorn, Rowan.

Trees are among the most beautiful reminders of God's creativity. They are rooted firmly in the earth yet they reach upwards towards the heavens, growing slowly and faithfully through the changing seasons. Their branches provide shelter, their fruit provides nourishment, the leaves give shade and beauty.

Throughout the Bible trees are woven into the story of God's creation. In Genesis, trees are among the first things that God causes to grow from the earth, including the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil.

In Psalm 1 a person who trusts in God is compared to a tree planted by streams of water, firmly rooted, fruitful and able to endure. There is something especially beautiful about the biblical image   of the tree planted by streams of water. The tree doesn't struggle to prove its worth. It is rooted, it receives, it grows and in its season it bears fruit. Perhaps that is a good picture of a life with God.

In Revelation the tree of life appears again beside the river of life, yielding its fruit each month with its leaves bringing healing to the nations. The tree that appears at the beginning of scripture therefore reappears at its end, a beautiful picture of creation restored.

A tree does not need to speak to proclaim that it has been given life. It simply grows and in its growing it points us back towards the Creator

Go back to your mind’s image of your tree.  Just picture it - its roots, (if you can see them,) its trunk, its branches, the leaves moving in the wind, or the shape of its branches, and simply thank God for making it.  And then understand that you too are God’s creation, not because of what you accomplish, but because you are HIS.

And pray

“Lord, thank you for this tree, rooted deep in the earth and reaching towards your Heavens. Teach me to be rooted in you, to grow through every season, to bend when the storms come, and to trust your light. When I feel I must prove my worth, remind me that I am already your beloved creation. Help me to grow quietly, to give freely to, to offer shelter to others, and to bear fruit in your time. May I stand firm in your love as this tree stands firm in the earth.  Amen

Introduction to Silence

We will now have our 30 min Silence to find our inner stillness – colouring books etc

Reflection on Silence   Introduce Sharing . . .

Blessing

THOUGHTS TO PONDER  

“Trees” by Joyce Kilmer I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree. Copyright Credit: Joyce Kilmer, “Trees” from Poetry 2, no. 5 (August 1915): 153. Source: Poetry (August 1913)

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

The Trees that God has made (anon)

I walked beneath the ancient trees, that branches reaching to the sky,

And heard the whisper of the leaves, as gentle winds went drifting by.

Their roots lie deep within the earth, their branches stretched towards the light,

Through summer's warmth and winter's cold, they stand through darkness and delight.

Each leaf that dances in the breeze, each bird that finds a resting place,

Each tiny seed, each falling rain Bears something of the Maker's grace.

The oldest oak has watched us come, and watched the generations pass.

Yet still it grows year after year, its roots held firmly in the grass.

And when I see the woodland green alive with creatures, birds and flowers,

I cannot help but wonder at the hand of God behind it all

For trees don't speak, yet seem to say, through every branch and leaf and seed

That God who made this beautiful world is faithful still and knows our need

Reflections from Henri Nouwen’s “Clowning in Rome.” (paraphrased)

When we look at a tree merely as something we can use, for example, as timber to make a chair, we stop seeing the tree for what it actually is. A tree regarded only as a potential chair can no longer tell us much about growth. Nature is not primarily a property to be possessed, but a gift to be received with admiration and gratitude.

A tree isn't valuable merely because it gives us timber, fruit, shade and oxygen, it has a reality and beauty of its own. If we become quiet enough to really behold it, creation can become almost like a window through which we perceive something beyond itself.

The connection between Nouwen’s ideas and the Christian understanding of trees can be put together quite beautifully “A tree doesn't have to justify its existence. It doesn't have to be productive. It doesn't even have to be beautiful or useful, it simply has to be what God made it to be, and perhaps that is why trees can teach us about God”

Wisdom

The tree is wise in the art of belonging. The tree teaches us how to journey. Too frequently our inner journeys have no depth. We move forward feverishly into new situations and experiences which neither nourish nor challenge us, because we have left our deeper selves behind. It is no wonder that the addiction to superficial novelty leaves us invariably empty and weary. Much of our experience is literally superficial; it slips deftly from surface to surface. It lacks rootage. The tree can reach towards the light, endure wind, rain, and storm, precisely because it is rooted. Each of its branches is ultimately anchored in a reliable depth of clay. The wisdom of the tree balances the path inwards with the pathway outwards. John O'Donohue (Eternal Echoes)

Blessing That Holds a Nest in Its Branches

The emptiness that you have been holding for such a long season now; that ache in your chest that goes with you night and day in your sleeping, your rising—

think of this not as a mere hollow, the void left from the life that has leached out of you. Think of it like this: as the space being prepared for the seed.

Think of it as your earth that dreams of the branches the seed contains. Think of it as your heart making ready to welcome the nest its branches will hold. —Jan Richardson

“Trees” by RUSH There is unrest in the forest Trouble with the trees For the maples want more sunlight The oaks ignore their pleas The trouble with the maples And they’re quite convinced they’re right They say the oaks are just too lofty And they grab up all the light But the oaks can’t help their feelings If they like the way they’re made And they wonder why the maples Can’t be happy in their shade

There is trouble in the forest And the creatures all have fled As the maples scream, And the oaks, just shake their heads So the maples formed a union And demanded equal rights The oaks are just too greedy We will make them give us light Now there’s no more oak oppression For they passed a noble law And the trees are all kept equal By hatchet, axe, and saw

Psalm 96:12 The Lord reigns. Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad  Let the sea resound and all in it Let the fields be jubilant Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy  They will sing before the Lord.  Blessed are they who walk with the Lord Their delight is in the Lord They are like trees planted by the steams of water.