The Tree of Life

“Tree of Life”

May 25, 2025 Cobleskill United Methodist Church, Pastor Anna Blinn Cole

Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

21:10And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

21:22I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

21:23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

21:24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

21:25Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there.

21:26People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

21:27But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

22:1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

22:2through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

22:3Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him;

22:4they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

22:5And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

John 14:23-29

14:23Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

14:24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.

14:25"I have said these things to you while I am still with you.

14:26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.

14:27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

14:28You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.

14:29And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

We’ve been in Revelation now for a few weeks, getting brief images of some of its imagery.   Last week we began thinking about this concept of a new heaven and a new earth coming down, one of the more salient images Revelation has to offer.  The concept that life on earth can be renewed and reclaimed in such a powerful way that heaven’s values will become reality.  

This week we hear  “…and the leaves of the tree will be for the healing of the nations.”

This reminds me of imagery I saw recently at the Iroquois Museum on my first visit a couple weeks ago.  In their tradition the Tree of Peace is a powerful symbol that tells a story of healing through peace.

“The Haundenosaunee Confederacy has been in place since time immemorial. …In the Onondaga community the Peacemaker planted a tree naming it the Great Tree of Peace. He directed the Chiefs of the council to sit beneath the shade of the tree and watch the council of the confederacy of the five nations. He told them that all issues concerning the confederacy would be discussed and deliberated under this tree.

The roots stretching from the tree reached north, south, east and west and were labeled the Great White Roots. The Peacemaker declared that any nation choosing to follow the guidelines of the Great Peace should follow the Great White Roots and make themselves known to the Chiefs of the confederacy. If they promised to obey the laws of peace they would be welcomed beneath the shade of the tree.

Above the tree an eagle was placed to see far and alert the confederacy of approaching enemies. Beneath the tree the Peacemaker asked that all men throw in their weapons to bury any greed, hatred and jealousy." (https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/confederacys-creation/)

The tradition of the Tree of Peace is not that distant from the tradition and meaning of the Tree of Life in Revelation.  It’s the profoundly important idea that our wellbeing is bound up with the wellbeing of those around us.  That our healing as a nation comes in tandem with the healing of all the nations.  That our hope for a restoration of life and goodness on this earth is bound intrinsically with a pursuit of peace among all the nations.  

Here's another story: Just two years ago in Zimbabwe, the United Methodist Church partnered with local church members to plant 825 fruit trees.  “In Mutare, …our objective is for everyone to plant a tree, and it should start with us church members.” DS Rev. Henry Chareka said “The Bible, in Jeremiah 2:7, says, ‘I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.’ Let us restore the earth for the benefit of future generations.” The trees help provide new sources of food and reduce carbon in the atmosphere.  Here children are given the responsibility of raising their own tree and take seriously the role this tree can play in being part of a larger connection and also bringing healing to the land.   Fifth-grader Calvin Mukutya attends Joshua Dube School. “I am going to talk to my tree as I plant it,” he said. “I will tell her to give me fruits. I learned that trees can give us oxygen; therefore, I should look after it so that it will look after me as well.”

Bringing peace to a broken and hurting world can feel overwhelming these days.  But this story of tree-planting in Zimbabwe to combat climate change and food insecurity is a perfect example of how even small actions can build the foundations of healing.  And whole people, whole nations, nations that aren’t hungry or oppressed or suffering are nations that will know peace, not war.  

We’ve known all too well in the last century alone what war can do.  We live in a constant state of forgetfulness, though, it seems.  The truth at the heart of conflict, though, is that violence will always beget violence.  We know this deep down inside.  Just like the Iroquois knew.  War is not the answer to alleviate conflict.  The answer is deeply rooted commitment to put down your arms and find your common ground.  To nurture relationships and take care of the hurting. 

Tomorrow is Memorial Day.  These days, this holiday is often marked by big sales in all the stores and the start of camping season.  BBQs and opening the pool.  

And yet quietly for decades, this day has been a solemn occasion to recognize those who have lost their lives in war. Originally called decoration day, a day for decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers.  In the aftermath of World War 1, when 116,708 people from the United States died, Memorial Day shifted from being strictly about decoration and more about remembering and honoring those who had lost their life.  The world had just witnessed its deadliest war ever.  And unfortunately, that was just the beginning of more than a century of deadly conflict.   

Memorial Day will always serve as an important day for recognizing the severe cost of war.  Let it also be a day for considering how we can be advocates for another way to solve our conflicts.  The cost of life will always be too high of a cost.  And the cycle of violence and war will also beget violence and war.  This is our burden and our sorrow, and also our challenge and hope.  That we can do better.  That God plants for a tree of life in the face of death.  That it brings healing and wholeness in the name of peace and that we are citizens of this God’s kingdom first and foremost where our duty is to the flourishing and healing of all God’s children.    

I invite you to pray with me:  

Empowering Spirit,God of our mothers and fathers,Creator and Redeemer of all life,We pray to you for your love-grounded peace.

We ask you to open our minds, free our hearts, bless our bodies,and grace all our relationships.We ask this of you because you have promised to help us,just as you illumine in Revelation's prophetic vision.You come to make a good world, a new creation-place where we can enjoy health, decency, safety, and even joy.We pray to you, O God, to inspire us into this daringly just world.We pray for new creation where love is greater than jewelsand more luminous than the sun or moon.

Let that love be shared around the tree of life.Bless us again in your image and free our frightened souls.

Motivate us in our memories of shared pain and suffering, our sense of deep loss, to see the impact the lasting impact conflict brings to nations all around the world.  Let our memorial lift up those we’ve lost and let our resolution be that no life should ever have to be lost again because we long to be people of peace.  Show us the way to be your agents of reconciliation in a world bent toward power and conflict.  

Amen.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Anna