Walking Into the Unknown, Together (4) In Honour of Earth Day

Please enjoy this excerpt from
The Wisdom of Trees, an article by Rev. Keith Curl-Dove, the Fossil Fuel Campaign Manager at Washington Conservation Action. Full article found here.

The mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands — Isaiah 55:12b 

“In the beginning of everything, God created—Light and Dark, Sky and Sea, Dirt and Vegetation, Moon and Sun, Bird and Fish, Air and Tree and Humankind. God created all that is—then, looking over it all, God breathed a deep sigh of love and satisfaction, and declared it all to be good.

“On the day that God created Humans, God gave us our first command—to be fruitful and multiply, and to be caring stewards of all that God had made. Climate change and deforestation remind us that we Humans have not always been so faithful (or good) at following those instructions. 

” …But what I have come to wonder about most is what God said on the third day—what was God’s command to the Trees? 

“What did God tell them to make their fruit and their sap so sweet? Perhaps that their non-Tree kin would have days of bitterness and sorrow. And that the sweetness of their sugar would serve as a reminder that not all days are like that. Maybe God hinted to the Trees that some of us would have difficulty learning to share. So they filled their limbs with so much fruit that nobody could ever imagine keeping it all to themselves. Did God tell the Trees that the rest of us would need some shelter—a bit of shade to protect us from the sweltering Sun or some cover to keep off the rain, a perch for a nest or a burrow under the roots, somewhere safe and out of the wind to raise a family?

“What did God whisper to them about how to breathe? Did God say, “I’ll start the breathing for everyone, if you’ll keep it going”? Did God vow to the Trees that they wouldn’t go forgotten? That they had their own part to play? That they would be the ones to lift up God for the rest of us to see? That their very being would sustain life? 

“I still do not know what God said to the Trees on the third day. But I do know that for much of the last year, the Red Maple in my backyard was my best friend. I rested in Maple’s shade. I read books against her trunk. I marveled at her leaves. I watched Cardinals make a nest in her and grow from a family of two to a family of five. I played with her helicopter seeds just as I’ve done with other Maples my whole life, throwing them into the air and delighting as they spin gently in the wind. I sat beneath her while I carved spoons and bowls and tool handles from the branches she gave me. We had whole conversations together. I could say anything I wanted to, and she never ran away. I could ask any question, and she never grew tired of me. She was a reliable friend when that was the very thing I needed most. In the shelter of her provision, from the strength of her steady presence, taking in the beauty of her foliage—I experienced a divine grace.

“This week of Earth Day, consider how you might foster a deeper kinship between you and other parts of Creation? What could happen if we began to see other parts of Creation as friends?”

Deep peace and blessing,
Anne

Rev. Anne Baxter Smith
Pastor, Church at Southpoint

PS. Looking forward to planting onions with you next Sunday at Brooksdale with Farmer Carly and her team at 10:00 am.

Worship Calendar

Location & Zoom. We meet on Sundays at 15639 24 Avenue, Surrey. Zoom is offered if you cannot attend in person. Zoom link. Meeting ID: 831 1690 9977 password: 753319

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Blogs
Catch up on Anne’s recent blogs under “News” on our website, southpoint.ca

Sun May 12   Mother’s Day
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sun May 19 Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21

Sun May 26 
No service at the Sunnyside building
Brunches Together!

Sun Jun 2
Rev Rusty Edwards (CABF)
2 Cor 4:5-12

Sun Jun 9
2 Cor 4:13-5:1

Sun Jun 16
2 Cor 5:6-11, 14-17

Sun Jun 23
Baptisms, at A Rocha’s Brooksdale Environmental Centre No service at the Sunnyside building

Sun Jun 30 
Fifth Sunday Brunches Together No service at the Sunnyside building

New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

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