Roots

“Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, And on His Law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3

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According to americanforests.org:

"Trees are made up of more than 50 percent water and need a steady source of it in order to grow and stay healthy. A healthy 100-foot-tall tree can take 11,000 gallons of water from the soil and release it into the air again, as oxygen and water vapor, in a single growing season. They “drink” in the water using their small, hair-like roots. Water from the soil enters their roots and is carried up the tree’s trunk all the way to the leaves."

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We have been in a small group for nearly seven years called Roots. It was formed long before we arrived, so I am actually not sure how it originally received that name. Since we recently moved, I spent some time reflecting on our group in relation to this beautiful Psalm this week. These friends of ours with whom we shared life for the better part of a decade had ups and downs, ins and outs, illnesses and victories, agreements and disagreements because…we are all human people who are not perfect all the time, but we love each other. We take care of each other. We point each other to the cross and the unique endeavor we are each made for. When one of us is tired and can not see the way, the others carry us through that season. Without these people, I know my life would have been less meaningful and purposeful, particularly throughout the pandemic. I honestly do not know how I would have navigated the lockdown without a group such as this. A tree planted by water has a constant source. We had a tree in the front yard of our old house that died recently. It may have been struck by lightning or something else, but also our sprinklers never worked properly from the time we purchased the home. I am no arborist, but I have to imagine the lack of a constant source of water near the roots was at the very least unhelpful. Interestingly, it appeared to be dying from the inside out. I wonder how many of us can keep up the outward appearance of bearing fruit for a time when we are disconnected from the source, but our insides are dying to be close to it. There is a lot of “deconstruction” going on in the church these days. Many are leaving the church, avoiding the church, or leaving the faith altogether (which is a whole topic unto itself). The church has problems, no doubt. It always has. I believe we do a major disservice in our faith communities in neglecting to teach church history. When you believe something new is going on in your generation, there is a temptation to believe the answer is to burn down the old way. If we took the time to study the past, we would see there is truly nothing new under the sun. No matter what you may feel about the current state of the church, there is a reason Christ instated the church and designed His purposes to go forward through her. Churches are full of imperfect people, even if they are following God wholeheartedly. There is no perfect church that has every box checked on your list of requirements. There are, however, Bible believing communities of faith that mostly line up with what you believe to be of utmost importance. The purpose of staying near the source is for energy, support, and life. Walking through faith alone is not only not how we were created to be, but also limits the fruit which we can bear in life (Acts 2:42-47). Attending is a start, but is not the same as participating in a committed way. Notice, this post is about my small group. I have been in one since I was in middle school and the shape of my life is what it is because of these groups of committed people. I am not preaching as much as imploring here based on my actual lived experience. Community with people matters. I can not state strongly enough that all people need community. If we did not know this before the pandemic, surely we know it now. Delighting in the Law of the Lord and meditating on it day and night is not solitary work. Our faith is deeply personal, but not individual. The source is Christ. Christ created the church as the river of His life to flow throughout time and the world. Stay near the source, friends. If you need help in figuring out how, I would love to have a conversation with you to encourage you and pray for you.

Recommended listening: Church of the City, New York: John Tyson

A Creative Minority: Covenant

Recommended lectionary reading:

Proverbs 31:10-31

Psalm 1

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Mark 9:30-37

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Citations:

*https://www.americanforests.org/blog/the-important-relationship-between-forests-and-water/