Good News for the countryside: Gospel truths in the trees

​Whether or not you work on a farm, if you can, it’s always good to take a few days off over the summer to enjoy some rest and relaxation, before the busy winter routine begins again.

We have just returned from a family holiday in County Longford, a county I have never visited before and although different to the Mournes where we call home, I really enjoyed the change of scenery.

Our accommodation was surrounded by forest, something we don’t see much of around home. It was great to wake up every morning to multitudes of birds singing, and to watch the squirrels race across the forest floor before shooting up a tree, while enjoying the smell of the pine trees on the breeze.

Trees feature quite a lot in the Bible, where they’re often used to signify great strength, power and security. Trees are also central to the gospel message. In Genesis 2:9 we read of two trees that God placed at the centre of the Garden of Eden. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was the tree that God warned Adam and Eve not to eat its fruit. However, they did, and their disobedience caused the whole of creation to become spoiled by sin, bringing separation from God, as they were forced to leave the Garden of Eden. Their sin not only affected them, but all subsequent generations as well, including us.

The other tree is the tree of life. We’re not told what it looked like, but we do know that its fruit was able to give eternal life. This tree reminds us of the power and holiness of God, that He is the giver and sustainer of life, and that before Adam and Eve sinned, His creation was perfect. Sadly, after they were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God placed angelic figures and a flaming sword beside the tree to guard it (Genesis 3:24). This tree was strictly off limits to sinful human beings.

The Bible teaches that with sin comes rebellion against God, and with it the certainty of death. But there is good news – God had a rescue plan from the beginning! Knowing that mankind would be helpless to deal with sin that leads to death, God sent His own son Jesus to take the punishment of death that we deserve. It was on another tree – Calvary’s tree, the cross – that Jesus suffered this punishment on our behalf, so we could be free from the effects of sin, and become reunited again with God.

Having read about the tree of life in the first book of the Bible, we read about it again in the last (Revelation 2:7) where the tree is no longer off limits. It is brimming with fruit, which we are invited to enjoy in abundance with God in heaven.

Finally, in Luke 19, we find a little man named Zacchaeus, who found Jesus by climbing up a sycamore tree to get a better view. This encounter was to change his life completely and forever. Have you found Jesus today? If not, there’s no need to climb a tree, you simply need to ask Him into your life.

Ronald Annett works for a local animal feed company and helps out on the family farm in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains. He is a member of Mourne Presbyterian Church in Kilkeel, County Down.

If you would like to talk to someone about any of the issues raised in this article, please email Rev Kenny Hanna, PCI’s Rural Chaplain at [email protected] or call him on 07938 488 372.