Everyone loved Mr. Allen — our 8th grade homeroom teacher. He managed to make “social studies” interesting, was kind and fair when grading papers — AND he was a man of deep faith. Each morning, BEFORE we said the “pledge of allegiance” he would do something that couldn’t be done now... he would take out his Bible, put on his glasses and read us verses from Scripture.
For some in the class, those words probably went in one ear and out the other — BUT hearing our admired and respected teacher begin every single day of the school year with reverent devotion left its mark on many of us.
That is actually when I learned to appreciate PSALM 1 — one of his favorites.
“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked
Or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of the scoffers…
But their delight is in the law of God and on that law they meditate day and night.
THEY ARE LIKE TREES PLANTED BY STREAMS OF WATER, WHICH YIELD THEIR FRUIT IN SEASON AND THEIR LEAVES DO NOT WITHER…”
That tree/water image is powerful!! How do WE get to be “trees” like that? Faith-full and Fruitful?
I like to imagine GOD as a never-ending, always-available stream of Living Water.
Each of US was created with a deep well inside of us that is connected to that God-River… God’s Pure Water just flows into our “roots” — our spirits —freely and unendingly.
It is an amazing Source of Love! Energy! Vitality! — God’s gift of constant Presence/Spirit within each of us! All we have to do is to KEEP our roots sunk deeply and we will be connected - always.
It is way too easy to forget, however — way too easy to become so SELF-absorbed that we lose track of keeping our God-roots moist… It is then that our roots can shrivel and wither — and eventually we feel so totally cut off from our source of God-nourishment that we might be heard to say: “WHERE DID GOD GO? Did God abandon me??”
Answer: NO. God’s river of Love is always flowing — endlessly present… Maybe we might want to check the status of our roots?
This Sunday our choir will share an exquisite anthem — MAY YOUR ROOTS GO DEEP—which beautifully reflects these thoughts… click here to listen!
“May your roots go deep into the soil of God’s marvelous Love… And may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep and how high Christ’s love truly is… And so, at last, you will be filled up — with God’s Own Self.“
AMEN and AMEN