The Tree in the Middle of the Garden

40 Essays in Around 100 words #37

In the garden of Eden there are two trees in the middle of the garden–one of life and one of knowledge. One brought the curse of pain and death into the world. At the end of time, there will be one tree in the heavenly garden–a tree with 12 kinds of fruit, a tree whose leaves provide healing to all the people of the earth. This week we celebrate Jesus who hung on a cursed tree in the middle of 3 men being put to death. So maybe along with being the way, truth, life, and resurrection, Jesus is also the Tree of Life?

This is our "traditional" Easter tree.

Your Body is Good

40 Essays in around 100 words #36

Your body is good. Remember my friend who was learning to ride a bicycle? She did it! She can now ride a bike. No longer will she feel intimidated by activities that are “just like riding a bike.” It’s a new era. She told me she is starting to understand why I love cycling. You feel free and capable and strong. In a society that is often telling women about how their bodies should be, it’s powerful to feel good in the body you have. Let us remember that God looks on our bodies with love and we can rest in that loving gaze.

Shout out to the new streetlamp that made this photo possible

Trees and High Places

40 Essays in around 100 words #35

Throughout the Bible sacrifices happen around trees and high places. Noah gets out of a boat made of wood and does a sacrifice on a mountain. Abraham takes his son up a mountain to sacrifice him and then a ram is caught in some bushy trees and they sacrifice that instead. God’s people distort their worship to Him by worshipping sex, power, and wealth at the altars of trees in high places. The Psalms have songs of ascent as everyone approaches Jerusalem where a wooden ark of the covenant sits in the temple. Who cares? I do. Because themes are important. They help us remember.

It's a tree in a high place. But where's the sacrifice?