Loading...In a book of books full of imagery and metaphor, our reading from Jeremiah and the psalmist’s song both include one of my favorite images – a tree planted by water with roots by the stream.
It’s this beautiful image of life, even if there is dryness all around:
you’ve seen trees like these even as you drive through the semi-arid Eastern Washington;
or, you’ve seen satellite pictures of places like the Nile river region in Egypt with a line of green on either side of the river as it snakes through the yellow-brown earth.
Water is nourishing and life-giving, and the tree next to it will flourish and thrive even if there’s a drought.
This image that Jeremiah offers is in the midst of his dire warnings about the Big Bad empire of Babylon which will surely swoop in and destroy Israel. And those who trust themselves or in “mere mortals” will be like the shrubbery in the desert – they won’t make it.
Yet those who trust God – they’ll survive. And even thrive.
They won’t somehow, magically, get to skip over the bad stuff. Oh no.
They will experience hardship. But their source of strength and nourishment will be The Source. And their “leaves” will still be green.
When the proverbial poop hits the fan:
who or whom do you trust?
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I wish I had some sort of projection option here in this space
because, of course, I would have shown you a picture of a tree by the water with roots into the stream,
and of the dry shrub in the desert,
and 
the satellite picture of the Nile river.
But, I’d also show you a picture of an intriguing icon of a “Tree of Life”.
You may have noticed that the tree of life is one of my favorite images; for one thing it’s on my chausable that I use in the green season.
The Tree of Life icon comes in two basic styles. In one, there is a tree with Jesus sitting on the trunk (as if he’d climbed the tree) and the “leaves” are the apostles. A variation of this style is that Mary and Jesus are both on the trunk.
The second type is that the “tree” is the cross with the crucified Jesus on it, and the “leaves” are all the people of faith.
However you image the Tree of Life,
it’s all in service to help you better understand, rest in, and trust in God’s tender love and care for you. Indeed, the psalm reminds us that those who trust in God are “happy”; they are like a tree.
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But, before we go around pointing fingers or telling folks to go plunk themselves by some trees, or to go “find themselves in nature,”
let’s leave the forest, the stream, and the desert and
go to “the level place” with Jesus.
Jesus, with his apostles, his disciples, and a large crowd from all over were all together on a level plain. Jesus heals, casts out demons, and loves people. Jesus is WITH people – people who were in their own deserts in need of health, companionship, justice, or whatever.
When Matthew relates this sermon and teaching occasion, he has Jesus on a mountain, in close connection with God. But Luke has Jesus on the plain WITH the people – the people who are hurting, oppressed, experiencing pain personally, in community, and as a nation.
And then Jesus offers words of blessing:
Blessed are you who are poor.
Blessed are you who are hungry now.
Blessed are you who weep now.
Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude you, revile you, or defame you.
Please note that these are not instructions or commands from Jesus to the listeners to go BE poor, hungry, sad, hated, etc. Rather, he’s saying that if this is true for you, “blessèd be you” – for even in this desert wilderness place, you are like a tree planted by water with a stream for your roots to draw strength and nourishment.
Blessèd are you because you are not forgotten.
But, as Luke retuells this story, Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on:
Woe to you who are rich
Woe to you who are full now
Woe to you who are laughting now
Woe to you when all speak well of you.
Now, keep in mind that this is not about “just you wait ‘Enry ‘Iggins” for your comeuppance!
Rather, this is a dramatic reminder, warning, and cautionary tale from Jesus
• don’t think you did this
• don’t trust yourselves and your other powerful friends and those with feet of clay
• when the drought comes, and it will, you’ll be like that shrub in the desert on a salt pan: you won’t make it if you think you’re “all that”.
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This teaching is about so much more, however, that just our individual rootedness, or our own blessings and woes.
We do not live in an isolation chamber.
We live in community.
We live in neighborhoods.
We live in a city.
We live in a country, and in the world.
Jesus demonstrates in words and actions a profound concern for those who are poor – from every kind of poverty.
Jesus has great concern for those who are excluded, overlooked, shunned, mocked, unfairly and unjustly treated. Jesus cares for, loves, and includes all who need him.
In Jesus’ day, that meant slaves, day-laborers, whose who were sick (and therefore shunned), those with mental illness, women (especially widows because they had no social safety net), children, tax collectors, prostitutes.
In today’s day, who are those for whom Jesus has that profound concern? Who are the ones whom we are called to love and care for, and for whom we are called to work for justice?
Refugees, those who’ve experienced domestic violence, those with mental illness, children, those who have been trafficked, immigrants, women, people of color, prisoners and former prisoners, people who are homeless or impoverished, and those who cannot access medical care.
This can be an overwhelming list of people but each person is a beloved, claimed child of God. Each person is blessed by Jesus. Each person is in the company of Jesus who comes to be WITH us – the Incarnate One.
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Blessed are you who are loved by God and who are planted by the water with roots which find life and nourishment in the stream.
Blessed are you who trust in the One who loves you and cares for you, even in drought and wilderness and desert places.
Blessed are you who work for justice in God’s beloved world for God’s beloved people and creatures.
Blessed are you who sing a song of joy and peace even in the midst of the atonal noised of violence, egoism, greed, and selfishness in our world.
Blessed are you who turn to the One who is with you, nourishing you, sustaining you, and making you thrive with life.
Amen
