Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. 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.
— Revelation 22.1-2
Beautiful Tree of Life! Thank you for your grace,
for your verdant strength, your generosity.
You grow in the middle of the street of the city:
our only way is through you.
You grow on this side, and the other side.
You straddle the nations.
As a grove of aspen: all one tree, many stems,
Mustard seed, Redwood, Baobab, apple.
In the city there is no sight of the noxious weed
of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Tree on which Jesus hung has risen from death,
has sprouted green, has borne life-giving fruit.
You sustain us. You gather us, you shelter us.
We drink from the River, we live on your fruits.
No one comes to you alone, but as family.
No one eats as enemies or foreigners, but Yours.
You are the vine and we are the branches.
We are your leaves, twelve tribes of healing.
All the world lives in your shade, nests in your branches.
All of us eat of your body. We belong to you.
Beautiful Tree, Mother of Life! Tree of justice!
Tree of Healing! We thank you for your grace. Alleluia!
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
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