There in God's Garden, ELW 342
Devotion
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The vision that is so clear to me in this hymn is the Tree of Wisdom. This is the wisdom of the Lord. The wisdom that is all knowing. Not the type of wisdom that this world thinks about. Not the type of knowledge that is based on facts or skill. But instead the type of knowing that understands exactly why we do the things that we do. It is knowledge that understands our humanness and our inability to truly trust God. The type of knowledge that understands our brokenness and our self-focus that causes us to turn away from God.
That Tree of Wisdom is the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Compassion. Our Lord knows us and our limitations, and only such a knowledge can give way to ultimate compassion for our condition. This Tree of Wisdom, Jesus the Christ, is the most magnificent tree in God’s garden.
Prayer
Tree of Wisdom, Tree of Knowledge, Tree of Compassion, Jesus Christ our Lord, enfold us in your loving branches as we cry out in our weariness. Amen.