[What God plants] will become a noble cedar, the largest of plants, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches (Ezekiel 17:22-24 and Matthew 13:31-32).

Ezekiel 17:22-24, our church’s “noble cedar” passage probably was not on your Bible verse memory list before you got involved in Chatham Community Church, right?

But then you perhaps discovered that it was one of Jesus’ go-to passages when talking about the Kingdom of God.

Scripture’s “Kingdom of God” language is not focused primarily on the afterlife.  Instead, it’s about God’s present reigning and ruling, here and now, as well as in the age to come.  Jesus, like Ezekiel, likens the operation of the Kingdom to a small cutting or seed, planted by God, which then proceeds to grow into a mighty plant in which “all the birds of the air” can find a place to land, rest and nest.  

Jesus borrows from Ezekiel, but also reframes the picture.  As we listen closely to Jesus, we come to understand that the seed is not a theology, an ideology, a political or economic program, but a Person.  What God plants is Jesus.  The King.

A King who enters our history in “small seed” form, a baby born in the margins of the world of pomp and power.  A King whose kingdom seeks out and welcomes all kinds of birds to come and find “home” in this One who is the Tree of Life.  A King who, following his rejection, condemnation and shaming execution by the “best and brightest” of the day, is literally “planted,” in a grave, 

A Seed-King who, planted alone in his death, nevertheless arises in new and indestructible life, and bears fruit, all kinds of fruit, fruit inside of which are the seeds of the Kingdom.  Seeds that grow into all kinds of Kingdom Fruit Trees, each and every one of which is to represent the King.

Birds are attracted to fruit.  “Birds” here means “people,” all kinds and manner of people.  People who, like birds, are hungry for truly nourishing food, for genuinely safe places to live and thrive, generation after generation.

It’s not easy being a bird in our times: habitats are being destroyed; toxins pollute air and water; high-speed jets and towering buildings are problems; artificial lights throw off avian migratory “GPS.”

It’s hard being a human being in our times: habitats are being destroyed; toxins pollute air and water; high-speed social media and towering corporations are problems; artificial and glittering images throw off the “GPS” of human minds and hearts.  So many of the accomplishments in which we take such pride and in which we invest such hope seem to make life less humane, less human, less conducive to the flourishing of birds and humans.

There is a refuge for real birds and real people; there is a Tree of Life that provides shelter, nurture and safety, for beings both avian and human.  Wherever the Seed of that Tree finds receptive soil, it grows.

How might God want the seed of his kingdom to grow in you during these Advent weeks leading up to Christmas?  Does that seed in you need planting … fertilizing … watering … weeding?

To read or re-read the overview/summary of this week’s passage, you can click here.