Reflection two – ‘there will grow all kinds of trees for food’

This is the second in a series of reflections looking at the natural world and finding God’s presence in nature. I recorded this in the Rectory garden in front of some fruit trees, which despite my best care are not doing very well. I was given seven fruit trees, three years ago as a departing gift from my previous parish in Hawkley. Seven being the perfect biblical number, I dug deep holes for each tree. I watered them well and added compost. They did not grow. I tried again and added chicken pellets, which were devoured by the local foxes before they could even reach the tree roots.

This made me think that sometimes we feel we’re doing our best, we’re trying hard and yet there appears little or no reward for our efforts. There may be something in your life or in our parish, which does not flourish however hard you try. Perhaps my well-tended fruit trees are the right trees in the wrong place. This may be seen as a metaphor for how many of us are feeling at the moment. People are facing loss, grief, hardship and fear of the future. COVID and lockdowns can make us feel ‘we’re in the wrong place’.

Yet, if we look to the bible we can find glimmers of hope to lead us through these troubling times.  Trees are frequently mentioned in the bible and have a particular importance. They feature at the beginning of the bible in Genesis and at the end in Revelations – acting as bible bookends! 

 I’ve selected three passages where trees are significant (English Standard Version) although you will find many more.

Genesis Chapter 3, Verse 2:

“And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the garden; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You will not eat of it, nor will you touch it, or else you will die.’ ”

Ezekiel Chapter 47 Verse 12:

“And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

Revelation of St John Chapter 22, Verse 14

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.”

So how can reflecting on trees and in particular ‘fruit trees planted in the wrong place’ help us to feel closer to God? The answer will be different for each and everyone of us. But I truly believe that God is longing to nurture us, if we open our hearts to Him. He longs for us to grow and provides us with everything we need to survive, if we can but open our eyes to see this.

This week, I recommend that you reflect on where these tree analogies fit into your own life and where in the bible you can draw comfort, when you feel overwhelmed by ‘being in the wrong place’. 

With blessings

Rev Rona