Amidst the clamor of discord in today’s world, unity within the church stands as a beacon of hope. Together, united in purpose and spirit, we can accomplish far more together than we ever could alone. Perhaps more than ever, Christians need to model this vision to others, especially those who have given up on church or who have never been. What does this collaborative spirit look like? Maybe it looks like ligaments and roots. Curious? Read on . . .

The theme of the letter to the Ephesian churches is that we are one in Christ: “One Lord, one faith and one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:5-6)  In the first three chapters, Paul lays the foundation of what it means to be “in Christ” – adopted as his sons and daughters, redeemed in Christ, alive in Christ and created in Christ to do good works. Though we are different people from many backgrounds, we are one body.

Paul writes that “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  (Eph. 4:16)   

There are some 900 ligaments in the human body. Ligaments connect bone to bone, while tendons connect muscle to bone. Ligaments must be strong enough to bind femur to the fibula and patella to tibia. Together, they help the whole body grow and become stronger. What a great metaphor to illustrate the body of Christ! 

But there’s another image that portrays unity: redwood trees. You can walk among them in Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco, California. These giant redwoods grow up like nature’s steeples from the sanctuary of the forest below. From seeds as tiny as that of a tomato, they can reach 250-300 feet! Redwoods have no tap root and a shallow root system — often only five or six feet deep. But they make up for it in width, sometimes extending up to 100 feet from the trunk. Giant redwoods thrive in thick groves, where the roots can intertwine and even fuse together. A single redwood tree would not be able to withstand strong wind and sudden storms. However, a forest of redwoods is joined together by a hidden system of intertwined roots, similar to the 900 ligaments that connect the bones in the human body. 

What can we learn from the redwoods? In their book Growing Spiritual Redwoods, Bill Easum and Tom Bandy share that spiritual redwoods are not born or built . . . they are grown (Easum, Bandy, p. 17). 

• Spiritual redwoods stand taller than any other tree. Yet their visibility is more than just numbers but the magnitude of their ministries. 

• Spiritual redwoods hold aloft an enormous umbrella of intertwined branches, which shelter a huge diversity of life in an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect. 

• Spiritual redwoods are resistant to crisis from beyond and disease from within. Political winds do not break them, and ideological fires cannot burn them. 

• Spiritual redwoods put down strong, extensive root systems that intertwine with those of other redwoods. They draw nutrition from unexpected sources and reach out into unlikely places. 

Like the human body or a forest of redwoods, we are a church united in purpose and spirit. Through faith in God, we can accomplish far more together than we ever could alone! 

Thriving in Christ,