GENEralities

I am a bit of a dabbler. One of the things I dabble in is drawing and painting. A subject that has continued to “stump” me (pun intended) are the cedar trees of British Columbia (and it’s no wonder when you think of the years it took Emily Carr to capture the BC rain forest on canvas). I’ve made an attempt or two to sketch them, but their beautiful sweeping, cascading branches elude me.

At a conference in BC a few years ago I found myself sitting in a retreat centre lounge looking out across the grounds. “Sitting here looking out the window at some of the cedars of BC,” I wrote in my journal. “Thinking about how to draw them – too complex – but beautifully patterned cascades of living tree.” And so they are.

And then I remembered how cedars are described in the Bible. The prophet Ezekiel (31.3) writes of “A cedar of Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade, and of great height, its top among the clouds.” I was looking at trees just like it. And in the Song of Songs 5.15 a bride describes her beloved: “His appearance is . . . choice as the cedars.” What a lovely image — he must have been strong and tall and true.

After contemplating the rich, sweeping, green foliage for a while I came to realize that those magnificent trees were for me a picture of what God’s Holy, life-giving presence among us is like – only God’s presence is even more beautiful and full of life. The Holy Spirit of God also comes to us in amazingly beautiful patterned cascades, cascades of generous loving concern. Every Sunday, we celebrate one of God’s choicest acts of loving concern for us; the resurrection of Jesus, His Son, our Saviour, from the grave.

He lives! And He is as choice as the cedars. Alleluia!

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