Sunday September 7th, 2025 Worship

When we were kids, my sister and I both got to plant trees in our yard. I have never had a particularly green thumb, but I was hopeful that I could get this tree to grow. It really helps that I didn’t actually have to do much to take care of it! So, I was horrified one day to discover that my poor little tree’s protective wrapping was filled with mud courtesy of my sister and her friends. It took so long to clean out that mud, trying to excavate my little sapling before the mud hardened. Yet, despite its tumultuous beginning, I can safely say that my little tree has grown into quite a large tree now and is still in their yard to this day! Now, I’m more likely to roll an ankle on its roots than anything!
I was thinking about planting this little tree today because our Scripture readings center on this theme of being rooted in God and in our faith. The Psalm today gives us this imagery of the faithful being like a tree planted beside the water, prospering, while the wicked are like chaff blowing away in the wind (Psalm 1: 3-4). This is the very first Psalm, which tells us so much about how the Israelites understood their relationship to God. And, while our world is vastly different from the times of King David, I can’t help but continue to see a tree as a good example of what it means to be faithful. If we think of ourselves as being rooted in our faith like a tree, it gives us a foundation and support to carry us through all of life, the prosperous and the challenging. It gives us something to come back to when the world around us doesn’t make any sense and we don’t know where to turn next.
Trees give us examples of something that grow and change with the seasons, which we can even begin to see in the trees around us whose leaves are starting to turn for fall. But, there are also so many different types of trees that it allows us to recognize the ways that, while our faith may come from a similar source, it doesn’t have to look and be the exact same as the person next to us. And, trees have so much to teach us about what it means to be interconnected, to communicate and look out for each other’s well-being, and be connected to the entire ecosystem that surrounds them. From symbiotic relationships with fungi to being home for birds, squirrels, and other creatures. Trees thrive because of the way that they are connected to the world around them, just as we do too.
Yet, as my tree demonstrates, rootedness doesn’t mean that our life won’t come with challenges. I’ve always loved looking at tree rings because they can tell us so much about the life of that tree. From how old it is to what years had better conditions for growth compared to those that had a bit more drought. Our lives of faith are similar. Not every year is going to be the same, but like trees, we go through seasons of life. Seasons of doubt, seasons of spiritual nourishment, seasons of growth and change. If we were to create a tree ring style model of our lives, marking down important times in our lives, we would see a unique story of our faith. No one is going to have that same story, not even our family or others who went through some of those experiences with us.
Part of that story is figuring out what is most important to us in those different seasons of life. This takes thought and intentionality. While the language in our Gospel today is drastic, this is what Jesus is trying to get at with his disciples today. He talks about how becoming his disciple isn’t just a decision to be made lightly, but one that needs to be considered, especially regarding how it is going to impact their lives (Luke 14: 25-33). When Jesus is asking them to think about the allegiances in their lives, it isn’t that people have to actually hate their loved ones and that those relationships aren’t important (Luke 14: 26), after all, we are made for relationships. But he is asking for commitment from them, knowing that there is great risk ahead for them to be associated with him, and they need to decide if they love Jesus or their families more. Essentially, he is asking them if they are willing to risk their lives to follow him. That is not an easy sacrifice to make for most people. It’s why Jesus tells people to prepare to take up their cross if they are going to follow him (Luke 14: 27). While people like to interpret this story in a variety of ways today, largely focusing on their idea that there are many burdens we should be expected to bear as Christians because that’s what God wants for us, it more so comes back to this idea of being rooted in God.
The story of our faith lives is going to be different from the disciples of Jesus time. We are not being asked to risk our lives to follow Jesus and profess our faith. We do not have to face the very real threat of hanging on the cross because of our beliefs. But I do want to go back to this idea of commitment that comes from our rootedness. Because, what our Scripture readings are asking of us in our world today is this continued connection to God and the teachings we have received as we live our daily lives. Somedays, this will be really easy, while other days we are going to be tempted away by something shinier or easier to practice.
Trees don’t always have easy lives either. They will face drought, disease, and other human and environmental factors that will challenge their growth. There will be challenges in the days ahead because that is a part of what it means to exist and to love this sometimes broken and painful world. But, there will also be days when we will be filled with so much joy and love that we cannot help but love the world even more. Throughout all of those moments in our lives, God’s love and grace are like the stream flowing by us, offering strength for the journey and the growth that is still to come. Sometimes, we are more aware of that stream beside us, and other times we might feel like the stream has run dry. But, we are given the promise that it is there for us, as God desires life for us. It is a stream that in fact never runs dry.
We are given the choice to decide what is most important to us and what we want to place our time and energy into. If we want to, we could spend our lives drifting from this thing to that thing, searching for meaning and purpose. The alternative option that we are given in our Scripture is to be like the tree, rooted in our faith, grounded in the love and grace we have from God. While the stakes are lower now than it was for Jesus’ disciples, that is not to say that a life rooted in faith is going to be easy and free of challenges. Yet, there is something powerful that comes from having the love of God and a community to fall back on when we need support on our journeys. Because even in our rootedness, we are not left alone. We are a part of an entire forest, complete with other people who have found their strength in God. May we appreciate the forest that grows around us too, as we take on this commitment to discipleship that Jesus offers to us, for the sake of the world and the life that is still yet to flourish.