Sermons

“What a noble gift to man are the Forests! What a debt of gratitude and admiration we owe to their beauty and their utility! How pleasantly the shadows of the wood fall upon our heads when we turn from the glitter and turmoil of the world of man!
—Susan Fenimore Cooper, American author and naturalist
READING ~ “When I am Among the Trees” by Mary Oliver
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.”
 

READING ~ from In the Company of Trees: Honoring Our Connection to the Sacred Power, Beauty, and Wisdom of Trees by Andrea Sarubbi Fereshteh- Introduction.
For more than three hundred million years, trees have graced the earth’s surface. Extending their roots into the soil and firmly establishing a hold on this orbiting sphere, they rise with woody trunks toward the heavens. They reach their branches up toward the light and sprout all manner of leaves, blossoming flowers, ripening fruit, and needles in every shade of the rainbow. They support a dynamic and diverse range of fauna and are the foundation of vibrant ecosystems, silently adapting to their environment and thriving in synchronicity with the earth’s many cycles.

Since the dawn of humanity, people have had an intimate relationship with trees. We’ve used them for practical purposes, seeking shade and shelter under lush canopies of leaves, utilizing the wood for all manner of products—tools, fuel for firewood, and construction materials for ships, furniture, musical instruments, and more—and consuming their fruits, sap, resin, and nuts. We’ve also honored and revered trees as links between heaven and earth, viewing them as homes for deities and symbolic representations of sacred beings. Trees have inspired art, music, and poetry and are an integral part of the human experience and landscape. It’s easy to drive through a neighborhood street or walk through a city park and just accept that trees are there, silent sentinels watching over human activity below. But we would be remiss to forget the vital role trees play in the earth’s ecosystem and the long-held cultural beliefs and rituals involving trees that have existed throughout the ages. As humanity is rediscovering the magic of forested lands, the wisdom of trees, and the eternal lessons inherent in nature, an illuminated ancient awakening reminds us that we evolved and exist as part of a complex global ecosystem that has endured in a delicate dance of balance for millennia. While many indigenous cultures have long understood the value of living harmoniously with forested areas, more recent efforts to combat deforestation, overfarming, and the dangers of unchecked fires are developing in a concerted effort to preserve and protect the world’s trees. As more and more science emerges about the innumerable benefits trees and forested areas provide, it is more important than ever to contemplate how humanity can take efforts to exist in a thoughtful way with respect and regard for the incredibly complex plant and animal life that surrounds us.
Fereshteh, Andrea Sarubbi. In the Company of Trees: Honoring Our Connection to the Sacred Power, Beauty, and Wisdom of Trees (pp. 5-6). Adams Media. Kindle Edition.

SERMON ~ “For the Love of Trees” ~ Rev. Margaret Beckman
Slowly, slowly, they return
To the small woodland let alone:
Great trees, outspreading and upright,
Apostles of the living light.

Patient as stars, they build in air
Tier after tier a timbered choir,
Stout beams upholding weightless grace
Of song, a blessing on this place.

They stand in waiting all around,
Uprisings of their native ground,
Downcomings of the distant light;
They are the advent they await.

Receiving sun and giving shade,
Their life’s a benefaction made,
And is a benediction said
Over the living and the dead.

In fall their brightened leaves, released,
Fly down the wind, and we are pleased
To walk on radiance, amazed.
O light come down to earth, be praised!
Wendell Barry, “1986 I” in A Timbered Choir, the Sabbath Poems 1979 – 1997. New York: Counterpoint, 1998.

Happy day after Earth Day.

Earth Day #53.  We, the human species, have spent the last 53 years talking about the need to love and preserve our planet without actually doing what we know can and must be done.  There is tremendous sadness and grief, as well as intransient denial, about the demise of life on Earth as we have known it for millions of years.

Religion scholar and best-selling author, Karen Armstrong, in her book, Sacred Nature, tells us quite plainly:
We need to recover the veneration of nature that human beings carefully cultivated for millennia; if we fail to do this, our concern for the natural environment will remain superficial. But this doesn’t have to be an insuperable task, because despite our careless and destructive behaviour, we have not entirely lost our love of nature.[1]
We have not entirely lost our love of nature.

No, we have not.  Today, I invite you to notice and honor your own love of nature.  We can’t save what we don’t love.  And we won’t save what we don’t love enough.  We must love Earth enough to do what will save Earth for life, including us.  We need to recover our spiritual connection with nature.

For me, trees are my love and my spiritual connection. Trees save us – and daily says Mary Oliver.  The mystics, the scientists, the Shamans, and young children know this to be true.

Poets and naturalists have always known this.  You’ve heard the words of my poets for today – Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry.

Sages and Naturalists:
“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.”   ― John Muir

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sometimes, a mystic becomes a scientist.  And sometimes, a scientist becomes a mystic.  Robin Wall Kimmerer and Suzanne Simard are two.

Listen – again for many of you – to their teaching.

From Robin Wall Kimmerer who wrote Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants ….
“I wonder if much that ails our society stems from the fact that we have allowed ourselves to be cut off from that love of, and from, the land. It is medicine for broken land and empty hearts.”

“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”

“When we tell them that the tree is not a who but an it, we make that maple an object; we put a barrier between us, absolving ourselves of moral responsibility and opening the door to exploitation… If a maple is an it, we can take up the chain saw. If a maple is a her, we think twice.”
And finally, this:
“The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. Exactly how they do this, we don’t yet know. But what we see is the power of unity. What happens to one happens to us all. We can starve together or feast together.”
Suzanne Simard is a scientist – a forester and a plant biologist.  In her work as a scientist, she has, I think, become a mystic. Her work prompted her to write Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.

Here is a tiny bit of what she has to teach us.
“Trees live for tens if not thousands of years, depending on the species, so they’re living side-by-side for a long, long time. For me, thinking that they don’t communicate was ridiculous. The popular view at the time was that trees just compete for water, light and nutrients, so the first thing I looked at is: ‘What if they’re sharing water and nutrients?’”

“One lesson is our view of how ecosystems work and how we interact with ecosystems. This idea of competition and survival of the fittest has translated into the domination of man over nature. That isn’t right – I always knew that we were only embedded in the ecosystem because I grew up that way. We need to see ourselves as part of these ecosystems; that we have a responsibility and a role in nurturing; that we can be agents of positive change, instead of destructive change.

“The other thing, as far as climate change goes, is these old trees and ancient forests are huge carbon storehouses. They also host biodiversity — the two are correlated: the more productive the ecosystem, the more carbon is stored, the more diversity there is. So, conserving these trees and these forests is hugely important.”

“Just getting reconnected with the forest helps us as individuals to understand them a little more. Forests are our life support systems – without them, we won’t be here. And I think if people understood that more, we would protect them more.”
If we understood that trees, especially forests, are the life support system for Earth and for us, we would protect trees, especially forests, more.

What we want to do is run out and plant trees in our yard, our neighborhood, our town or city.

What we want to do is run out and plant a trillion trees be 20250.  A good idea.  There is a project to achieve this lofty goal.

Indigenous people who have lived among the trees and forests in the same place for thousands of years and scientists who have studied the forests for decades agree that forests are essential.  They also now agree (mostly) that old forests are much better for Earth than new forests are.  It takes a very long time for trees to become the community of shared resources and mutual cooperation that keeps them alive and strong.

We who want to help Earth by planting trees might also work to preserve the forests already living on Earth.  Planting trees is completely viable as one effort to halt climate collapse and restore Earth.  But, planting trees is sustainable when there is a coordinated approach that takes into consideration the variables of the location – and single trees or small stands of trees isolated from the forest often do not survive.

So, I am happy to admit that I do not know how to plant trees for the planet.  Trees on the small plot of land being occupied by and cared for by me and Christy is a personal effort to be in relationship with nature and to be surrounded by beauty.  When it comes to a trillion trees – I turn to the folks who know how best to preserve existing forests and plant trees for new forests  and city tree growth that have the greatest chance of survival.

The Canopy Project is where I have sent my Earth Day 2023 contribution.

I cannot do the work, but I can help others do the work.

Two things for this morning.

Love nature enough to save it.

Do something.

Poets, sages, mystics, scientists … musicians and photographers … can bring the life and spirit of tress into our hearts.

Because I love trees, I do not tire of singing about them or seeing them.

I’ve prepared a short video for you.  Sit back and relax and fall in love with trees all over again.

The music is Jim Scott’s Rainforest.

The photos are from all over the world.

A program note – – do not trouble over the fact that the song lyrics and the pictures are not synchronized.  It’s just two expressions of trees taking up together.  You’ll make of it what you will.

VIDEO ~ For the Love of Trees (Music: Jim Scott “Rainforest”)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9fzpmmf6w5udgo7/For%20the%20Love%20of%20Trees%20%28Jim%20Scott%2C%20Rainforest%29.mp4?dl=0

The Tree of Life sustains us.  May it be so for a very long time.

Blessed Be.   I Love You.   Amen.

[1] Armstrong, Karen. Sacred Nature (pp. 17-18). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.