Live Oaks and the Lord’s Prayer

Sometimes a story comes full circle over a large span of time. The live oak is a truly majestic tree, and St. Andrew’s is blessed by many of them both at its 31st St. Campus, as well as on Southwest Parkway. One of our live oaks is actually in the historic register, the one on the 31st St. campus, that is likely over five centuries old. As the canopies of these trees grow and extend, their roots are also doing the same thing below the surface. We don’t see the roots. We see the canopy.

This morning, during a sermon at All Saints Presbyterian, our Senior Pastor, Tim, talked about one of the live oaks in his backyard that didn’t have any branches break, but instead the weight of the ice on the limbs caused the tree to topple. To fall. The roots couldn’t hold it. The things that we couldn’t see below the surface caused the whole tree, canopy and all, to fall.

Clearly, our lives, as humans are a bit shorter than a live oak’s. Unfortunately, my beautiful bride, Maureen’s, life was cut short by metastatic breast cancer at 50. So when I saw the news earlier this week, that one of the two live oaks outside of the Upper School chapel had toppled at St. Andrew’s, I had wondered which one. This picture shows that it was the one to the right. Not the one to the left.

That might not seem to matter, but it was the one on the left under which I stood with Maureen‘s mom over eight years ago for Maureen‘s Celebration of Life at the Upper School chapel. Inside of the chapel, was our canopy. A huge gathering of those who love Maureen. And under the tree that did not fall, I stood with her mom that day. A deep and wonderful woman, Bonne Maman doesn’t tear up much. But on that day, there was one. And she asked a simple question. Are all these people here for Maureen? I said yes. These people are a reflection of her love in this community.

And today, in Tim’s sermon about the centrality of the 51 short words in the Lord’s Prayer, I was reminded of where our roots are buried. They come from Him. They come from God. They come from love. And if God is in our hearts, then we can never be toppled, because His roots are strong.