What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

My thoughts have wandered amongst some forests lately, due to a conversation I heard on the Christian radio.  My husband will tell you that I am a TREE HUGGER at heart… there is something profoundly beautiful and majestic about these mammoths of nature.  Some are gigantic and some are delicate beauties.  Makes no difference to me they are all a part of the wonder of God’s creation.

I doubt there is a person here who is not a greenie at heart.  Let’s leave out the theory of man-made global warming, and simply admire the beauty and usefulness of trees.  Their attributes are simply enthralling and they are so useful to us in so many ways – a fantastic gift from our Creator God.

They give us food such as fruits.  These provide us with excellent nourishment.

The wood from some trees such as teak, walnut, rosewood and oak is used to make furniture.  Wood from other trees is used as fuel for cooking and for warming houses.

Paper is made from wood.

Many trees are the source of useful modern medicines.

The canopy of leaves and branches gives us shelter.

They provide cool shade.  Many trees, for example, in a forest, can make the climate pleasant and the air clean.

Forested areas get better rainfall compared to areas with no tree cover.

When they breathe, they release oxygen that all animals need for their survival and they take in carbon dioxide which they need for their growth.

They help to prevent destruction of the fertility of soil as well as stop soil erosion, particularly on slopes and mountains.

So there we have it, the wonderful attributes of trees… which you may remember are mentioned in the books of the Bible.

In Genesis (1:11) God brought forth the fruit tree, yielding fruit after his kind.  In fact I found a paper on the internet that stated that there are 30 something different trees named Bible.  I suspect there were some serious botanists doing the studies!

Of course we also know that Noah used the wood of trees to build the Ark.  I suspect wood might have been used – perhaps as scaffolding when the Tower of Babel was being constructed.

Lastly of course wood was used in the scourging and crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus.

I listened intently to the radio program, wondering what the commentary on trees was going to show me about my Christian life.  I was not disappointed.

The speaker made the connection, and it really should have been obvious to me…..

When God Created the Earth and all that was in it, out of the ground He caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the Garden, and the tree., of knowledge of good and evil” .  “And the Lord God commanded the man saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat.  But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”. (Gen 2 16-17)

You shall surely die – how? We have read the Bible, and we know the story very well. Adam and Eve did not die, as in a physical death as you and I know it did they. And yet as surely as night turns to day, they died.

They died a spiritual death, in very simple terms; through disobedience to the instructions of God they cut themselves, and all future descendants, YOU & I off from a continued spiritual union with God.  A continued, ongoing, eternal, living relationship was severed in that instant through the arrogance and greed of our First Parents.

Did God wipe his hands of humanity? Certainly not!

He made us, He knew us, and He had planned for this moment since before time began.  He is GOD after all. Of course scripture tells us time and time again that God reached down and called us back into union with him, but because we are human and sinful, we never managed, by ourselves, to accept his invitation.

The time came, that had been planned for, since before creation, and The Word became flesh and lived amongst us.

At the appointed hour, Jesus – the Word Incarnate, took upon Himself all of our wickedness, all of our sinfulness, past, present and future, and ON A TREE at Calvary Jesus reopened the path to spiritual union with God for us all.

The Tree of Life, Jesus Christ – He who comes to me shall never hunger, we might well say ‘never die’, shall have new life!!!!   The sin of our first parents carried the penalty of eternal death – separation from God.   Jesus took that penalty upon himself so that we might have complete forgiveness. The Bible says, “The penalty of sin is death”, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the beginning the tree of life was abused causing eternal separation and death.  In Jerusalem the Tree of Life was abused on our behalf, opening the way to redemption and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Trees are a very precious part of God’s creation.

And that my friend is an understatement!

AMEN