Flowing with Abundant Life

The eastern white pine is one of my favorite trees. I have vibrant  memories of wind-swept foliage against the bright blue sky of Isle  Royale in Michigan. I recall the exhilaration of cross-country skiing  through radiant white snow with white pines soaring overhead. The  white pine is a majestic tree. 

So I am a little sad about the large white pine tree next to our  house. Bark beetles have bred within the inner bark. Sometimes a tree  can fight off that infestation, but last summer’s drought weakened it.  Once the inner bark is chewed all around the tree, the tree is girdled,  and no sap can flow. Water cannot travel upward through the xylem  to the leaves. Food from the leaves cannot move downward to the  roots. This past month, all the needles have turned brown. We will  have to cut it down. 

Jesus knew about sap in living things. He talks about remaining in  him. That word “remains” (or abide or dwell) is a mystical term that  connotes a deeply intimate and constant communion. The sap of the  vine continually flows into the branches and keeps them healthy.  When there is a vigorous transfer of nutrients, the plant flourishes  with abundant good fruit. 

But what about those little bugs? In the spiritual life, we don’t  often pray, “Jesus, just go away.” We don’t deliberately cut ourselves  off from the vine. Rather, little things begin to eat away at our  relationship—having no time to pray, harboring resentment, getting  so busy that God’s beauty passes by unnoticed, forgetting faith-filled  friends, or ignoring our conscience. Difficult seasons can weaken us.  Without meaning to, we can inadvertently allow the bugs of life to  chew away at our connection to the Source of life and slowly start to  wither. Jesus, help us to flourish and not be cut down!

Consider/Discuss 

• It is Easter! It is springtime in our northern hemisphere! It is not time to  think about plants dying but growing! How can you allow the Holy Spirit  to fertilize your spiritual life this week? 
• Jesus’ sap of love flows within us to help us to flourish. How can we open  ourselves to the vigorous transfer of spiritual nutrients and not block  that flow? How can we so abound with love that we bring abundant  compassion to others? 

Living and Praying with the Word 

Jesus, you ask over and over again to love each another. You know  the bugs in our lives. You know that we do not dwell in your love as  we ought. You know that we do not stay in communion with you as  well as we could. Strengthen us to follow you more closely. As you  did for the early church, build up the people of faith in this Easter  season. We will praise you, O Lord, in the assembly of your people!