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United Church of Christ | Saxonville, Massachusetts

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Wounded Trees

April 15, 2020 by m.memmott

An Easter Devotion by Mary Memmott

Dear friends, throughout the season of Lent we have enjoyed devotional reflections written (or photographed) by members and friends of our congregation, centered on the theme, “A Grove of Trees.” Given that we are physically separated, the Deacons decided to continue this practice through the season of Easter.  Twice a week, you will receive a reflection, connected to the Easter scripture themes, in your email box. They will also be available on Facebook and on our website.

If you would like to write an Easter season devotion, please let Debbie know!

Our first one, by Mary Memmott, bridges our Lenten theme of trees with our Easter theme of new life. Enjoy and be inspired!

Praise the Lord!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147: 1-3

We do not usually think of trees as needing “wound-binding,” but we know they do get wounded. After a big storm, broken branches litter our streets and yards. But what happens to the place where the branch ripped off? If the tree is dead, nothing much; but if the tree is alive, it responds to the tear like we respond to a cut to our skin. A tree sends in special chemicals to encourage cell growth around the wound, to seal it off. Years later, you can tell where a tree has lost a branch by the growth of a rounded scar around the spot, a “knob.” The knobs tell the story of past wounds to the tree. I once had a fellow teacher explain to me that these knobs can be used to convince children that trees are alive — a fact that is not obvious to them. After all, trees don’t run and hop like animals. The key is to hone in on how those knobs are like the scabby knees you get after a cut — the signs of healing. For something to heal, surely it has to be alive in the first place? Robots don’t make their own scars (well, not yet), only living things do that, and the knobby scars on a tree are a sign of its life.

How many knobby places do we all carry with us? The healing of past wounds is not always pretty.  There is some comfort in looking at the trees, who can’t run from their troubles, but stay in one place, and yet diligently heal themselves as they can.  All of us living things face troubles, and all of us can heal, in some fashion or other.  The Lord who gathers in the outcasts does not mind some knobs.

Teach us, O God, to see our knobs as signs that we are alive. Amen.

Filed Under: Easter Devotional 2020

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