The Sunday Sermonette – From Stumps to Eternity. 

     For those privileged to have grown up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we know that in the oven of August, two dates—and two alone—stand out: the 17th and the 29th. Those dates conjure haunting memories of masses of towering debris, the screech of chainsaws, and the briny stench of death. As we dug out from under the chaos that Camille and Katrina brought us, it didn’t take long to discover that our Coastal world had been irrevocably changed, each storm taking with it a bit more of the Coast we had enjoyed as children.  

     However, standing like haggard sentinels, many of our ancient oaks, their once emerald-green coronets now dingy brown, had survived. The trees’ broken and battered limbs still lifted their branchy fingers toward Heaven. Sadly, with time, though, many of their brothers and sisters did not survive and were cut down by the hundreds, with nothing remaining to remind us of their beauty and strength except a stump surrounded by sawdust. And thus they remained—lifeless and dead. Or were they?

       Trees, as we know, hold a special place in the Good Book, their spiritual significance deeply embedded in the scriptures. In Genesis, the trees in the Garden of Eden were described as ‘pleasing to the eye,’ a unique distinction in the Creation account. When we gaze upon our Coastal trees like Long Beach’s Friendship Oak, we are struck by their beauty, a reflection of their Creator, Father God. Their presence should also remind us to praise Him for the beauty of His creation. The Book of Psalms declares, ‘Let the field be joyful…then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.’ Isaiah echoes this sentiment: ‘All the trees of the field shall clap their hands.’   

     Speaking of the prophet Isaiah, he prophesied the coming of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, using a tree: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse.” The stump of Jesse refers to the lineage of Jesse, the father of King David in the Bible. That shoot symbolizes new life and hope even when things seemed dead. Remember all the stumps that littered the ground after Camille and Katrina? Imagine everyone’s surprise when many of those “dead” stumps spouted branches! Despite the destruction they had encountered, a new tree was born.   

     In the future, when driving down Hwy 90, please don’t fail to notice the beauty of our majestic oaks. In places over the highway, they form a canopy, a leafy cathedral created by Father God. There is also something special about the many trees that were once dead stumps. With the breeze whispering through their branches, they whisper to us of God’s redemptive plan. From death comes life…eternal life.

     When your thoughts are clouded by hurt, fear, or anxiety, take a walk. Stroll along Hwy 90’s boardwalk and reflectively observe our old friends, the trees that declare God’s faithfulness. The towering trees that point us to worship Him in all His majesty and glory. These trees, with their whispering branches, serve as a constant reminder of God’s redemptive plan. From death comes life… eternal life. This hope, rooted in the faithfulness of our Creator, generates within us hope for the present and a future of great expectations as we look forward to the eternal tree of life. 

Ponder this and go forth.