The Wilkes Team

A tree is a beautiful addition to any landscape. Towering above the flora below, the tree serves as a lush backdrop, a source of shade, a means of lodging for the fine feathered fowl, and more.

This afternoon, Matthew and I had the joy of planting two large trees (sycamore & maple) on the farm. Over the course of the day  – picking up the trees (they were free), carefully driving them to the farm, and installation, I recalled a recent sermon from church on the life of Abraham. As did many of the Biblical patriarchs, Abraham recognized the importance of passing on a legacy to future generations.

Throughout history, trees have been planted for memorials – as tokens of the past to preserve the past for the future. Of significance is the fact that shortly after making the difficult decision to send Hagar & Ishmael away and then covenanting with Abimelech, Abraham plants a grove of trees.

And Abraham planted a grove (of trees) in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God (Gen. 21:33).

Its almost as if he wishes this grove of trees to serve as a reminder of the Covenant with Abimelech and even his decision to obey the Lord and so send away his son Ishmael. The grove would be there for years to come and could serve as a reminder of these events unto Abraham and his seed.

God has His own tree of remembrance. One planted close to 2000 years ago. A tree that continues to bear fruit, bringing comfort to the weary and brokenhearted. It was planted nigh the advent of Spring on top the small hill of Golgotha. This was a ‘Tree of Remembrance.’ For upon this tree, God’s own dear Son died. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (1Pet. 2:24). But He did not stay dead. 3 days later He arose again thereby showing His victory over death. He alone has the power to save the souls of men.

The cross of Christ is God’s tree of remembrance. And as we go to sleep on this eve of Resurrection Day, let us take a moment to ponder the cross of Christ, His sacrifice, and His love for you – His most treasured creation.

                   Happy Resurrection Day!

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 11th, 2009 at 10:59 pm and is filed under Tid Bits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.