The Tree of Life

Introduction

In both the book of John and the book of Revelation, the authors share important spiritual truths and experiences with their listeners. Those who wrote and contributed to these books shared powerful insights into a world where complete goodness was possible—and perhaps already accomplished. In the grand scheme of things, there are moments, in small bursts and great feats, when the kingdom of God breaks through.

These moments come at the mountaintops and valleys of our faith, in the deep forests, or in the desert blooms. The holy city kin-dom is made whole when it is filled with living things: turtles, birds, dolphins, and butterflies. As much as these texts speak to Spirit, they are also fully part of our creation and the human story right here on this good Earth.

These authors of our readings during Eastertide share these moments and invite us to believe. They want us to know that death is but a passing place. Resurrection and true life are more powerful than any of us can imagine. In the mountains, in our forests, or at a table among friends, we can trust in God. We can believe into Christ. We can love one another and this good Earth. We can know that God is doing something new. We can believe into the new creation.

This study is designed to accompany the Eastertide worship resource, “Believing Into Christ.” Each week, this study invites you to read the text and explore biblical and ecological themes. You are invited to share your insights with the Bible texts together with stories of the natural world and people of faith within our world. Each week should take about an hour to complete. If you, as a leader, allow a little more time, that will mean deeper exploration and a richer conversation.

Each week includes a reading and links to real-earth stories. Study participants can be encouraged to read more during the week as they continue to reflect following Easter.

Small Groups

Preparation

Gathering Space: Choose a location with reasonable access to the outdoors— a courtyard, a room with the doors open, or a sunny window.

Refreshments: Serve snacks as you are able. Serve snacks sustainably to minimize waste and eliminate plastic. Serve fresh fruit, home-baked cookies, or cheese cubes with crackers. Offer coffee, tea, or juice from a glass jar. Or make juice from frozen concentrate and serve it in a pitcher. Break out the coffee mugs or purchase compostable cups instead of using plastic.

Activity: Offer free origami instructions and provide sheets of square paper for folding during the conversation. Origami paper is thin and can be obtained inexpensively. There may already be some in the Sunday school room. Animal suggestion this week: birds (instructions).

Begin (Time estimate 60 minutes)

Gathering: (5-10 minutes) Break into groups of three or four. Make sure each group has access to square sheets of origami paper and the week’s origami instructions.

Check-in: (5-10 minutes) Have the groups check in together using this prompt: “Where did you find peace this week?”

Reading: Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:27 (For text reading and Question 1, allow 15 minutes.)

Question 1: The reading speaks of a divine city where God dwells with the people. The city brims with natural beauty, a crystal-clean river, and an orchard of trees filled with life. The food produced is plentiful every month; goodness and peace are everywhere. Today, we might describe a perfect summer day as one with a fruit-filled harvest of sweet plenty. We might picnic with neighbors under the shaded canopy of the wild orchard. For a few minutes, reflect, “How does the peace and beauty of the holy city intertwine with the abundance of the natural world?”

• For the leader: Reading the text and Question 1 out loud will take about three minutes. With the remaining time, ask two or three people in the small group to share their responses to the question with the others in their group. As the leader, listen in to one or two groups.

Story of home: Read out loud. (For this reading and Question 2, allow 15 minutes.)

Humans have been cultivating their environment for millennia, planting plants to sustain themselves for food and sacred purposes, such as the sacred forests of Ethiopia. These practices from long ago are returning more widely, with a renewed understanding of the value of food forests or agroforestry.

Food forests can be anywhere; they are a good way to transform urban areas for humans, pollinators, birds, and the natural world. They are also considered an important part of addressing climate change. Instead of growing lawns and nonnative ornamental plants, cities like Boston are organizing with a forest coalition to transform green spaces, empty lots, and church yards.

People of faith are part of this coalition, including the Old West Church. The “edible food garden” in the Old West Church yard includes herbs, berries, vegetables, and fruit trees. For the church leaders and volunteers, the garden demonstrates a commitment to “food justice and care for the earth.”

Question 2: Access to a green canopy and nutritious food, such as in the holy city, demonstrates green leaves as healing and food access as an important part of a righteous and just society. In the verse from John, Jesus gives another precious blessing, the blessing of peace. In that beautiful city on the riverbank with the canopy of fruit and nut trees above, the sacredness of that place and the peace would be a blessing, indeed. Where have you found peace in the natural world?

• For the leader: Reading the story and the question out loud will take two to three minutes. With the remaining time, ask two or three people in the small group to share their responses to the question with others in their group. Suggest that they rotate who shares, so that anyone who didn’t get a chance to share for Question 1 has the chance to share this time. As the leader, listen in to one or two groups.

Pathway to the New Creation: (10 minutes) Over the last number of decades, God’s creation has suffered degradation due to human actions. What this has meant for birds alone is that one in eight bird species faces the threat of extinction. What path underneath the trees is complete without birds and birdsong? What pathway can we walk in our churches to ensure that the birds of the Earth multiply?

Closing prayer: (5 minutes)

God of light, you have made the mountains and the seas, the sun and moon, and brighter still, you have filled the holy city with a radiance beyond human imagining. And you created us to share this peace, this sacredness, this Earth, this home. Let us be a people to safeguard this Earth and the living things you have entrusted to our care. Let us find our way to your city, your new creation, for now and always. Amen.

Origami animals can be taken home or saved for display in the church.

Written by Rev. Richenda Fairhurst works at the intersection of climate, community, and connection. She serves alongside others with the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, including as part of the Movement Cafe team. She is a member of the Pacific Northwest Conference and lives in Southern Oregon, where she serves on the board of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, chairing the Creation Justice Committee and Oregon Interfaith Power and Light. Find her on substack at justcreation.org.

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