Easter 6C + The tree of healing + 5.22.22

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Acts 16:9-15; Ps. 67; Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29)

 

Peace 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. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.'

Do you feel peace in your hearts? I was on a Zoom call this week and asked the group “how are you?” and one person, very honestly, answered, “it’s weird. I feel like everything is okay and then I remember that it’s not all okay.”

It’s true. Sometimes, we just want to say, “not everything is okay, Lord!” Our world is sick. The blood of the victims in Buffalo, Laguna Woods, Chicago and elsewhere cries out saying that not everything is okay. What can we do to heal the wounds of racism in our country? To help our families feel safe? Because what we are doing is not working. We must find another way.

In the Revelation reading from today there is an image of the tree for the healing of the nations. I love this image. It is symbolic of the healing we receive from God. And at another level, it is not symbolic at all. Because trees literally save our lives by cleaning our air. There is an art exhibit opening in LA soon that has many trees, including animatronic talking trees, to help us listen to creation. The idea is to help us listen to how the earth is suffering from climate change. Can we hear creation’s groans?

Can we hear our own bodies? In another gospel passage in which Jesus imparts his peace, he breathes on the disciples. In way, he is showing us that we must breathe deeply in order to connect with God’s peace, and to reconnect with creation.

I am reading a book called My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem, and in it he says that we will only heal from the disease of racism by healing the trauma that resides in our own bodies. He suggests that if we pay attention to our bodies, especially how they react to people from different ethnic groups, we will see if we instinctively react differently to different groups. If we are reactive, we must find ways to get to know people from different backgrounds so we are less reactive to them. I think in a way our church is an experiment in this, being multicultural! Menakem says that if we can heal from our reactiveness to those of other groups, we may be able to heal the wound of racism in our country.

“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.”

Alene shared with me this week that the word used for “healing” here can also mean “therapy” for the nations. And this contrasts with the sorcery that is practiced in the new Babylon, or Rome (Revelation 18:23). The term sorcery is “pharmakeia” in Greek, which brings to mind pharmacopeia, a word we relate to traditional Western medicine. This is interesting. Now, I want to say that modern medicine is very important, and it saves the lives of many people who need certain drugs. But there is a dark side to this. And it is the drugs upon which we can become dependent, the drugs that infest our streets. For example, Fentanyl is much stronger than heroin, and in its street form it is indistinguishable from meth. Now, you know something is bad when meth is the better alternative! You see, folks who have taken methamphetamine take fentanyl thinking they can handle it, and it is way stronger. This is what is leading to so many deaths across the country.

How can we as a country be a place for the healing of the nations? It sounds lofty, but in a way, we are already doing just that in our own little way. We provide food to those who need it and we host Narcotics Anonymous and other 12 step groups. We have a program that supports mental wellbeing. We cover topics such as racism and appreciation of other cultures during our Wednesday Evening Prayer and Bible Study services. Perhaps more importantly, we are a multicultural and bilingual congregation, and in that we provide a space within which folks can experience different those of different cultures and backgrounds. Our services provide spaces of healing for those who come, wounded by the world. We provide a space to build community. And there are more examples. But we can do more.

I am speaking with our local police department about possibly training some of our groups, especially our NA groups, in the administration of Naloxolone, which can combat a fentanyl overdose and save lives. Just in case we run into someone that needs that.

But we must also open up other doors for healing. That is part of what our yoga class is all about that re-started on Wednesday. Healing for our bodies- who doesn’t need that after the past couple of years? Abundant Table is going to teach a class on cooking with fresh produce during the summer for a donation. We can continue to support our community garden where with Margot’s, Susan’s, and other leader’s help, healthy family activities and snacks are provided.

We are God’s children. And God has a blessing for us. Psalm 67, verse 6, which we read today, says: “The earth has brought forth her increase; * may God, our own God, give us his blessing.” God does want to give us a blessing. But we must accept it with open hands. God wants to bless us, but we must be attentive to our own bodies and to the earth in order to receive this blessing. This blessing is not just for us, but for all of creation. Our creation is groaning, but God is healing it. Your body or soul may be in pain, and God knows, and God desires to heal you and invite your help in healing all of creation.

We are poor containers for God’s grace, but thanks be to God we are the ones God has chosen to share the good news. We are the ones chosen to receive God’s healing and blessing and to share it with others.

Theologian Gardner C. Taylor once talked about the “foolishness” of preaching. He said it would make more sense for the trees and flowers to preach than for us humans to attempt it, poor vessels that we are. But he said, “flowers can never say I’ve been redeemed. And trees cannot say I once was lost and now am found.”

We look around us, and we see a world that seems lost. But we aren’t lost. God has found us in God’s love. Jesus sends his peace to us, and the church can be a tree of healing for the nations. God wishes to heal each one of us and send us into the world to share that blessing with others.

Amen.