The Sacrament of Tree Planting

On Saturday Becky and I will be in South Bend, Indiana, visiting Christopher, otherwise I’d be at the church to help plant the dogwood trees. I think there is something almost sacramental about the planting of trees.

The Prophet Jeremiah lived at one of the lowest times in the history of Judan and Israel. The people had long been disobedient to God’s call to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with their God. Punishment had befallen them and God’s wrath was poured out on them by the hand of the Babylonian invaders. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, was called by God to pronounce divine judgment against the people and suffered greatly for his obedience. In the midst of those devastating times, Jeremiah was given the opportunity to redeem a relative’s field – to buy some land, to plant an orchard and invest in the future. At the time it seemed like a crazy investment, a foolish idea. But God assured Jeremiah that his faithfulness would not fail, that the day would come when peace would prevail and fruit would be harvested. (more…)