Quite a few years ago, our family made a trip to northern California for an extended family reunion with my wife, Paula’s family. One of the side trips we took was to see the sequoia trees of California, known as redwoods. These trees are spectacular. Towering as much as 300 feet above the ground, beneath them, one feels like you are walking under a canopy of shade and protection. Strangely though, these towering trees have unusually shallow root systems that spider out just under the surface of the ground to catch as much of the surface moisture as possible. Shallow roots are their vulnerability. Storms with heavy winds would almost certainly bring these giants crashing to the ground, but this rarely happens. These giant trees grow in clusters, enabling their intertwining roots to work together as support for one another against the storms. 

We are living in times where we feel very vulnerable. Our thoughts run the gamut of fear of the unknown, loss of control, skepticism, and uncertainty about what the future holds. In the midst of these uncertain times, we seek a word from God. For me, John chapter 14 is one of those life-giving words of Jesus that encourages us in the face of the storm. So often, we focus on the early verses of this chapter. However, I have found the latter verses of the chapter most meaningful in my life. 

In verse 27, Jesus says to us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.” One of the aspects of God’s nature that we often forget about is the gift of the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus shares with us, as his disciples, that though Jesus is leaving, God provides for us the Holy Spirit to sustain us. The Holy Spirit reminds and teaches us about the continued life-giving spirit of Jesus. 

There is a story of a little church building on the coast of England that was ruined in a hurricane. The church members didn’t think they could rebuild. One day a representative of the British navy came to the pastor and asked if the church members planned to rebuild the church. The pastor explained to the representative why the members couldn’t do it. “Well,” responded the naval officer, “if you do not rebuild the church, we will. Your church’s spire is on all of our charts and maps. It is the landmark by which ships of the seven seas steer their course.” Similarly, as throughout the history of the world, there has never been a more important time for us to witness and offer to the world the sustaining peace of the Holy Spirit.   

I agree with many who have noticed how our churches, pastors, and laity have creatively offered to our world a witness of God’s sustaining power and love. I pray that the root systems of God’s sustaining peace will weave among us, intertwining us, and spider out from us, to be the eternal peace of Christ in a vulnerable world.