August 17, 2020
I remember when I first saw that iconic 1972 photo of our marble sized blue earth from the Apollo 17 flight to the moon. It really gave me chills to think how beautiful and wondrous our world is. As a prayer from our prayer book states it, “Our Earth, Our Island Home.” How fortunate we are to have been born in such a hospitable environment. But human beings are not the only wondrous life on earth that God created.

Trees are the largest and longest living things on earth. Trees shelter us, preserve our water supply, clean our air, supply us with oxygen to breathe and serve as a shield to the threat of climate change. A spruce tree in Sweden is over 9500 years old. Some of the bald cypress trees in Virginia are over 1000 years old. Two-thirds of Virginia is forested land, but 16,000 acres are cut each year to accommodate development in our state.

As part of God’s creation, trees are essential to the health of the earth and the preservation of the human race, and we have an obligation to care for them.

The Bible begins with life in a garden. A tree is mentioned in the first psalm, the first page of the new Testament, the last page of Revelation. In Proverbs we are told to be “like trees planted by streams of water, which yield fruit in their season.” Jesus declared that the kingdom of heaven is like a tree.

Trees are essential to our well-being and the preservation of a life worth living. We can plant a tree and contribute to the well-being of our world. When I moved to my home in Vienna, there were two trees in my back yard: Now there are 56. On hot summer days, these trees help cool the air and block the direct sunlight. Their roots protect the soil and prevent erosion. The green background around the yard provides an artist’s palette of color and food and space for wildlife. Although I cannot see it, I know these trees are also furnishing my environment with oxygen and are removing carbon dioxide.

As Christians we are urged to care for each other. To care for one another, we must care that those coming after us will have a beautiful world to sustain our way of life. As we are thankful for the beauty of the world, we can be active participants in preserving that beauty for coming generations. Recently I read that a well known celebrity plants a tree for each birth and each death in her family. Another well known celebrity from Brazil is planting 40,000 trees this year to commemorate her 40th birthday. You may not have the ability to plant 40,000 trees, but you can do your part. Part of our Christian duty is to do our part to leave our world at least as habitable as we found it.

– Jane Schmiedekamp