Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in the love of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I know my theme this morning is not what you expect on the Sunday honoring the baptism of our Lord, but it's what catches my eye in today's lessons.

Some of you know that I just returned from vacation, and as I read some of today's passages, images of trees and the wonders of creation I so enjoy come back to mind. Here are the two that especially hit me:

the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
he makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare. (Psalm 29: 5-8)

And:

We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day...(Acts 10: 39-40)

Trees, I thought. Trees stand as testimonies to the will and the mighty acts of God. When the Lord speaks in Genesis, the world is created and trees spring to life. When the Lord speaks in judgment, as in the Psalms, trees shatter and writhe at the sound of it.

In fact, they testify more easily and more quickly than do the thick-skulled humans who are blinded by their pride and ambition. That's part of why the prophets and psalmist use images of creation in their expressions. Creation is always giving testimony to God's word-in both the old and the new testaments.

- In 1 Chronicles, creation, including the trees, sings: "Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth." (1 Chron. 16: 33)

- In Revelation, the waters thunder: 'Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.' (Rev. 19: 6)

- In Psalm 96, all of the universe gives its testimony: "Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it." (Psalm  96: 11-12a)

- In Romans, creation groans in travail: "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8: 22-23)

- And a manifestation of the creation becomes the mode by which God's full will for the salvation of the world is accomplished—the tree on which our Lord was crucified.

For me, the images of the trees are especially powerful. I love the trees on our seven acres behind our new home. I enjoy the tulip poplar woodwork. And I recall the magnificence of trees from travels past—the Sequoias and Redwoods of California, the magnificence of various southern species of cedar and oak-and, also very memorably, cypress.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;...
The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare.

Breaking a cedar tree sounds like an impressive task. Some of the 20 to 30 species of cedar (a family which includes cypress) can grow to over 100 feet tall and several feet in diameter. To break such a magnificent tree, especially those adapted to windy climates, sounds like an incredible feat to me.

And surely those species that once adorned Lebanon were no less impressive. The cedars and cypress of that nation, you may recall, were utilized in constructing the great Temple of Solomon. There are nearly 100 references to these trees in scripture, another witness to their beauty and significance.

While I'm at it, let me add the witness of the cypress, even if it is subsumed under the cedar family. The Baldcypress that I've seen in the swamplands of the south are uniquely interesting and characteristic trees of the bayou. These can extend up 125 feet and expand to 5 feet in diameter, and they are easily recognizable for the many short protrusions of root, called "knees", that extend above the surface of the water. There is some mention of cypress in scripture, but there is little doubt that the ones I've seen were not what people in ancient Israel knew.

Perhaps equally impressive to breaking a cedar or cypress is the other image used by the psalmist—making oak trees writhe. We all know the stateliness and sturdiness of oaks from local specimens of white, red, burr, and others. But the ones that came to mind when I read this passage again were the live oaks of Louisiana. "Live oak", please understand, is a particular species, so named because they are evergreens. They are everywhere in Louisiana, but the most amazing ones I've seen are in the swamps. These are massive, majestic old, gnarled monsters, in height, in width, and in girth. Many are hundreds of years old. Their branches have incredible reach-often spanning a wider profile than height. The limbs are beautiful in their contortion, shaped by the extreme winds of hurricane alley. Spanish Moss drapes each arm, and the effect is eerily compelling.

If the mere voice of the Lord can make these massive evergreen oaks, accustomed to winds in excess of 100 miles per hour, writhe—it is a terrible and awesome voice indeed. Such is the testimony of a tree.

By the way, there are, according to one source, some 78 species of oak. And oaks are mentioned 33 times in scripture. I guess that it's about time that I used a sermon to honor them.

The idea of honoring trees may seem an odd idea. But we all, I suspect, recognize at least their utility. For many of us, though, it goes beyond mere recognition. I love the woods, and I love wood. I enjoy thoroughly a walk among the trees and flowers of God's great imagination, whether in the forests of the West, the swamps of Louisiana or the hardwood forests of Indiana. And one of my preferred hobbies, though I have not had much time for it in recent years, is working with woods. From restoring the beauties of old furniture to creating new pieces that witness the great diversities of color, texture, grain, and pattern, working with wood speaks to me about the glories of God. There is no other substance that affords our homes more warmth, charm, or grace.

And the breadth of application is staggering. Treated lumbers, cedar, and cypress fiercely resist rot, and move our homes, in warmer days, towards the creation from which we often seek shelter—through decks, patios, and hot tubs. The oak known even from scripture is not only rich in appearance, it makes flooring that wears well while being more resilient and comfortable than things like concrete. Its cells impart flavor to some of our more sophisticated beverages such as wines and liquors. It warms us as it releases its stored energy, while we delight in the play of flames across its surface. Not to mention, of course, the pleasant shade of the trees from which it is harvested; the protection against the elements; the comforting sound of wind and leaf; the joy of animals, birds, and insects for whom it provides a home; and the splendor of its leaves in announcing spring, clothing summer, and adorning fall.

Trees are potent symbols of permanence, endurance, persistence, longevity, and beauty. Their significance is not lost to biblical authors nor to us. Indeed, they are continuing subjects of adoration and ode, perhaps the best known among them by Joyce Kilmer.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's hungry breast;

A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree!

As Luther might say, this is most certainly true. It is God alone who can make a tree. Only the infinite imagination and creativity of our deity could create the glories of thousands of species of trees, each with unique beauties, purposes, and uses.

Perhaps our excursion today into the testimony that God brings to our hearts through even that seemingly humble source we so easily pass off with the simple word "tree" will heighten our ability to see this amazing world with the eyes of faith. Perhaps our reflections on the trees of scripture may help us to recognize that every living thing is given its own meaning, as is every person. Even if that meaning, in the case of one tree long ago, was to become the instrument of torture, transformed by God into a blessed instrument of salvation.

I invite you to enjoy God's creation, whether it's winter or not. Walk. Watch. Listen. Glory in the blessed diversity of this amazing world that God has set before us. And pay attention to the testimony of the trees. — Amen.