I came upon this tree today as I was strolling through Moor Park in Preston. This tree looked wonderful, and grand when it was standing. When it was standing it was quite old but seemed in good condition. When you look at the rings you can see history. The layers suggest many things about each year, but one suggestion is that they are thicker and darker in wet years. It seems that this tree went back perhaps hundreds of years and the wet and stormy seasons it endured very well.

Man was its final downfall.

Upon looking at the reason for the felling apparently they are cutting down trees that are diseased or dangerous to make room for developments to restore the park.

It made me wonder;

• Was this tree diseased? I remember climbing on this tree last year and it seemed full of life.
• Was this tree dangerous? What do the council suggest is dangerous? I remember a tree being felled where I lived just because kids loved climbing on it. I think it may have been making a bump in the nearby path but this is a park, what is wrong with wonky paths and ruggedness. We can’t live in a sanitised world.
• Was it in the way for a new cafe, play park, or something else? Perhaps only time will tell, but is this a good enough reason to fell an ancient tree?

It seems a pity that we seem not to respect age, because something is old doesn’t obviously mean it is useless. I remember being part of a bible study group and being astounded at the wit and insight that an elderly lady by the name of Irene had. She still does have this wit. Many of my childhood guides where elderly people, as the brass band I grew up in was predominantly elderly, with just me as the only child. Quite a few of my guides at various points in life have been elderly. Arthur convinced me to go to university, Bill was a wonderful guide in the brass band, Norman taught me always to be hopeful. Many people visit the elderly and friends during Christmas time, I wonder could we keep this visiting up through the whole year?

But the bible is like the tree.

My belief is that the bible is the oldest document telling of the creation of the earth and many other stories that are based on truth. But just like we have to interpret the rings of the tree, so we have to correctly interpret the bible. What do these old words really mean?

Just because it is old, extremely old, does not mean it is not truth. It holds up very well against archaeology and other ways of verifying the past, but that is not really why I put my trust in the bible. I put my trust in the bible because it seems to communicate to me through reflective reading.

Job 12:12 

Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Wisdom is certainly contained within this tree, showing past events dating back hundreds of years. It seems folly that it has been felled.

The story of this tree has not changed – the events that are recorded in its rings are now memories but they did happen. Wet winters, storms, dry years, pollution and many other facts are recorded. Plants and trees are truly amazing because even if their seeds are left, many thousands of years it seems they can be revived. http://www.livescience.com/2602-extinct-tree-christ-time-rises-dead.html

Just like this seed, we have been tasked with reviving the word of God.

Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection are factual and the bible states many times that he is the Messiah;

The Prophet,

 Deut. 18:15

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.”

The Priest,

Heb. 9:11 

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation.”

The King,

Dear Lord, help us to treat your creation with utter respect, for you have made every thing we see. Let us treat the elderly with respect as they have much wisdom and have endured much more than us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen