Dear friends,
In my recent Easter message at Jubilee! Community, I compared Jesus to a nurse log. In case that’s an unfamiliar term to you, nurse logs are fallen trees that offer seedlings nutrients and protection, creating the environment for a new generation. Fungi and bacteria break down the wood. As the tree deteriorates, holes in the bark grow and become filled with soil, moss, mushrooms and small plants, all nitrogen-rich organic matter. Over time, the log decays and the seedlings become strong enough to support themselves.
These “dead” trees are teeming with far more life inside them than they ever had when they were “alive”. These fallen trees contain five times more living matter than when they were growing upright.
What does this have to do with Easter? Deep in the forest, there is always life after death. What if Easter is not just a story about Jesus, the great tree that was felled? What if it is a story about the community that rose up from the body of that fallen life? A community that, when it stays true to its roots, grows mosses of compassion, lichen of love, seedlings of sympathy, into a forest of kindness.
It could be said that the legacies of Buddha, Mohammed, and other great avatars are also seedbeds of spiritual renewal. Certainly, the earth itself grounds and teaches us. As spring breaks out in the northern hemisphere, reminders of new life abound. Whether you find yourself in a time of blossoming, or a time of seeming decay, trust in the wisdom of the nurse logs: you don’t have to be reaching for the sky to be abounding with life.
Happy easter,
Laura
p.s. This Friday, April 5, is our First Friday Meditation. If you’ve never joined before, you can register here.