“Don’t break your wrist” isn’t advice you want to hear; but that was the advice I was given a few years ago while helping plant native tree seedlings on mt fiancée’s family’s farm. I had just been handed the auger drill used for digging holes in the ground, and keeping that warning in mind, my job was otherwise relatively simple: find a level spot every twenty to twenty-five feet and drill straight down as mud flies in all directions past my face. Once the hole was dug, mark it with an orange flag, and her dad would come along behind me and plant one of a number of different native tree species. The challenge in using the auger drill was just as the top of the spiral bit dips below the surface of the ground, the drill comes to a grinding halt with so much force, if you aren’t braced and ready, you can be flung off your feet. I can attest to this from personal experience.
We spent an entire day planting redbud, sugar maple, bur oak, pecan, river birch, and a number of other native species- by the time the sun began to set we had planted over 150 tree saplings around the property. It was exhausting work, but it felt good- as the saying goes, “the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the next best time is today.”
When I read the lectionary scripture from Jeremiah for this week, it led me to think about all the work and time spent planting those trees. I checked in with my fiancée’s dad, hoping there would be some update that I could include that would illustrate the hope, the optimism, and the joy so many are seeking these days. The report I got back was not exactly what I was hoping for- a small family of deer destroyed or deformed almost every single one of the trees we planted. Besides being brutalized by the local deer population, the trees have had to weather the changing climate, storms and droughts, the hot summer sun and frigid winter winds. Out of the 150 trees we had planted, maybe a handful were still standing. I get the sense it might be challenging to be a tree.
I get the sense it might be challenging to be a tree.
“Blessed are those whose trust is in the Lord, they will be like trees planted by the water. They will bear fruit in season and will not succumb to droughts”, says the prophet Jeremiah. That’s all fine and well, but what he seemingly fails to mention is the additional difficulties that come along with being a tree which bears fruit in seasons; to be a tree planted by the water comes with its own set of challenges. You may be blessed as a tree planted by the water, but blessed doesn’t equate to undisturbed- there are particular challenges involved in being a tree.
Being a tree means you have to weather the ever-changing seasons. Being a tree means you have to hold up against erosion, bear the brunt of strong winds, withstand ice, and brave axe. Being a tree means you often have to compete with other nearby trees and vegetation for sunlight and available nutrients. Being a tree means you stand stoic through the change and the chaos, committed to your humble role, even if that may not garner you attention or admiration- you may often be considered part of the background. Being a tree means the world may often take from you, while it may be much more reluctant to give. There are a number of challenges associated with being a tree.
Jesus is about the business of planting trees in our gospel reading. He and his disciples are gathered together, and a large crowd comes near. Filled with those who are poor, sick, or considered unclean by the culture, this type of crowd has become commonplace for Jesus and his disciples. As the crowd gathers to receive Jesus’ blessings and to be healed by his miraculous powers, there is an interesting dialogue which evolves between the preaching of the prophet Jeremiah and the teachings of Jesus. Jeremiah says blessed are those who trust in the Lord, they will be like a tree bearing fruit in season, and then Jesus takes this one step further, emphasizing the challenges and work involved in being a tree that bears good fruit. Calling his disciples’ attention to those gathered in the crowd, he teaches them as he plants them into the soil of ministry and compassion: happy are those who are poor, hungry, and longing- for they are blessed. And cursed are those who are rich, filled, and joyous.
Imagine Miracle-Grow running an ad for a new line of soil that was lacking in nutrients and left your plants hungry, droopy, and sad- how many of you would want to rush out and buy that?
But this is a very complicated message- happy are those who are poor, longing, and hungry. What kind of soil is Jesus planting these trees into, and what kind of fruit is he expecting to get in return? Imagine Miracle-Grow running an ad for a new line of soil that was lacking in nutrients and left your plants hungry, droopy, and sad- how many of you would want to rush out and buy that? I know I sure wouldn’t. And yet here is Jesus teaching that this state of wanting, of hunger, and of longing is the blessing the prophet Jeremiah is referring to- the soil in which these blessed trees will be planted. Those who trust in the Lord are like trees planted in soil, and there are challenges with being a tree, because it would seem according to Jesus, the soil these trees will be planted in is poor, lacking in nutrients, and fails to satisfy. So much for a tree that bears good fruit.
I don’t know about you, but I find Jesus’ words in the sixth chapter of Luke challenging. What does it mean to be happy and blessed? According to Jesus it means being poor, hungry, and downhearted. And not only are you blessed when you are poor, hungry, and dejected; but you are cursed if you are rich, filled, and happy- cursed like a shrub drying up in the desert. Now, I wouldn’t say I’m financially wealthy, but compared to much of the global population, I am living considerably well. I can say that I frequently find myself full after a good meal or happy when spending time with loved ones or enjoying a good hobby like gardening or listening to a baseball game. Am I cursed and unable to bear fruit that is useful to the kingdom of God because of this? Does following Jesus, does being one of these blessed trees, mean we forsake all of life’s joys and comforts, sit in ash and sackcloth, planted in depleted and starving soil?
Does following Jesus, does being one of these blessed trees, mean we forsake all of life’s joys and comforts, sit in ash and sackcloth, planted in depleted and starving soil?
We find guidance in the response from Jeremiah in this generational dialogue: cursed are those who trust in mere humans, who depend on human strength, and who turn their hearts from the Lord. Cursed are those who rely on themselves, on their own efforts, who say God has blessed me because of what I have done. Our culture has become efficient to a deadly degree at nurturing shrubs in soil that appears rich: in riches, goods, ego, and pride. That soil may initially seem lively and satisfying, but its bed is shallow- and taking root in this shallow soil sets in motion a slow demise where roots bind up, harden, cease to grow and die. Being planted in that shallow soil may initially feed the desires of one’s heart, but the nutrients are zapped quickly, and there is little depth for our roots to keep growing out to give vitality. Where your heart is rooted, so too is your life- being rooted in the shallow bed of worldly things, energies, accomplishments, and prides lead to a life that may appear to flourish at first but inevitably ends up choking itself out in the shallow bed and cannot withstand even the mildest drought or frost. The Lord God is able to search the heart, and the Lord God knows that the soil which humanity is drawn to is not the soil in which it will flourish and bear fruit.
Jesus says, blessed are those trees who are planted near the rivers of the Lord, where there will be challenges, but where roots will not become bound, shrivel up, and die. But how exactly can this be in a soil that is lacking in nutrients- this poor, hungry, dejected soil that Christ teaches his disciples and us we should take root in? Perhaps this soil has more to it than it seems. Perhaps poor, hungry, and longing are not just the soil these saplings are planted into, but they are the fruits that are born by these blessed trees. What if those things that initially seem like challenges, are actually part the harvest as well? When we are planted in a soil that fills us with a heart and spirit of poverty, hunger, and longing, the fruit we bear into the world is the fruit which Christ proclaims is the foundation for the coming reign of God: the fruit we bear is gratitude, curiosity, compassion. We are planted in this environment which has challenges, and the challenges impact the fruit we bear. There are challenges with being a tree, but those challenges prepare us to stand firm in the changing seasons, to brave the axe and the harsh winter winds, to serve humbly, to be the orchard of Christ that keeps growing amid the ongoing world around it- rooting itself in its caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, and tending to those in need.
When we are planted in a soil that fills us with a heart and spirit of poverty, hunger, and longing, the fruit we bear into the world is the fruit which Christ proclaims is the foundation for the coming reign of God: the fruit we bear is gratitude, curiosity, compassion.
Jesus is not calling disciples into perpetual states of suffering with no place for joy or happiness in life but is calling us into a change of heart and spirit. A heart and spirit that are never satisfied, is always seeking, is always serving. Being a tree has its challenges because it has to resist the urge to rely on itself, on what it can provide, and adopt a mindset of giving and service. Being the tree Jesus calls us to has challenges, because it roots itself in the present work of ministering to the poor, the hungry, and the broken. The soil that appears rich is often in fact shallow; but the soil that seems overworked and tired, lacking in nutrients, in the field where the deer come and constantly pick and prod, that is the place the fullest fruit is borne. In that orchard the poor are cared for, the immigrant seen, the mourning comforted. The work of God is done. Bearing good fruit takes work, there are challenges involved, but in the eyes of God, it is that fruit which is the sweetest. Because it is that fruit that comes from the tree which is rooted in God’s love, grace, and compassion. Sometimes the soil that seems to be the most barren and worn can sprout the most beautiful of flowers.
Sometimes the soil that seems to be the most barren and worn can sprout the most beautiful of flowers.
I praise God for those deer, because had I been able to point to how wonderful those trees were doing today, I’d be running the dangerous risk of highlighting my efforts and my works in the planting and the growing. Instead, there are so many challenges in being a tree, it’s only by the grace and loving kindness of God that I can proclaim the good news of the gospel of grace. It is by God’s grace I am here today- I’ve been planted in this orchard to serve my role- to bear the fruit of compassion, love, and gratitude. But it has nothing to do with my efforts, it has everything to do with God’s love in planting me, in allowing me to be challenged, in allowing me to grow my roots. It is difficult to be a tree, and thanks be to God for that. Amen.
Originally preached on Sunday, February 16th, 2025 at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church
Scriptures: Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 6:17-26
The TASK 
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