I’m sure you’ve all heard the question “If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Well, that’s not the fallen tree question I want to answer! I’ll let you decide the answer to that one, but my question is this: If a tree falls in the forest, is it really no longer living? What do you see when you spot a rotting log in the woods? Just a dead tree? Something that once played a role in its environment but is no longer useful? Just something over which you might trip and fall while trekking through the woods? Or do you see how that fallen tree still teems with life, even though it is no longer living itself? How it plays host to a myriad of organisms throughout its entire process of decomposition? It is a dead tree, but useless it is not. That rotting log is its own tiny ecosystem with an amazing community of living things interacting upon, within, and under it. And each member of that community has a very special niche, a role to play, a purpose, a job to perform, within that ecosystem.
Some of the first things you may notice on the surface of a fallen tree are mosses and lichens. These organisms help to make conditions better for decomposition to begin, because they reduce evaporation from the surface of the log. Many different types of fungi and bacteria interact to really get the rotting process started. Fungi secrete enzymes that break down large molecules into smaller ones, which they use for growth. As the wood begins to soften, many small invertebrates enter the scene. Some beetles may eat fungal spores. Some beetles lay eggs in the log, and their larvae feed on the rotting wood, further aiding in decomposition. Pill bugs (actually crustaceans, not insects) feed on the decaying wood. Ants may build colonies within the log and cause even more softening of the wood.
As the rotting process continues, larger invertebrates, like millipedes and centipedes, make an appearance. Millipedes feed on decaying plant matter and fungi, and centipedes are predators that go after the smaller invertebrates living in or under the log. When the rotting log becomes more hollow, it may serve as a shelter or a lookout for certain vertebrates, including lizards, snakes, chipmunks, birds, mice, or even foxes. And as the log begins to crumble and lose its form, earthworms aid in its incorporation into the soil, making a nutrient-rich earth just perfect for the growth of other plants, perhaps even another tree.
So, technically, the tree itself is no longer living, but it still has value in its different role in the environment. And every living thing associated with that rotting log is important in some way to all the other organisms in, on, or under that log. If you were to remove just one of the species from the log (or from any type of ecosystem) you would no doubt be disturbing the balance of that mini-ecosystem, affecting the livelihoods of many species. Sometimes I question the importance of certain organisms, like spiders (too creepy) and mosquitoes (too itchy), but I know they serve valuable purposes within their ecosystems.
As I think about the various roles of the members of an ecosystem, I am reminded of the Lord’s church and the importance of all the various roles of its members. And you might even question the value of your role within Christ’s church, like I sometimes question the value of spiders and mosquitoes, but I don’t think we should ever wonder about our importance as members of the body of Christ. I love how Christ is described in the Bible as the head of his body, the church, and Paul says a lot in his letters about the relationships and roles of all the members of the body. In Ephesians 4:15, he wrote, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Just as every organism works to keep its ecosystem healthy, “each part” of Christ’s church, when “working properly, makes the body grow.”
Paul elaborates more about the workings of the body and its members in 1 Corinthians 12. We’ll look at verses 12-31 here. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”
I think Paul makes it very clear that one member of the body can’t say to another part that it isn’t needed. And he also makes it plain that the parts must be working properly to make the body grow. Each part of our physical bodies (generally speaking) has a role that it must do that no other part of the body can perform. That part can’t quit its job and expect the body to be healthy and normal afterwards. The same is true for the Lord’s body – the church! One body part isn’t more important than another. The eye isn’t more important than the ear or the hand more important than the foot, and a preacher isn’t more important than a Bible class teacher or a song leader more important than one who visits shut-ins.
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he had to address some problems with members thinking that certain spiritual gifts were more important than others. Paul had to remind them that all the gifts were from the same Spirit and all were for the benefit of the entire body. One gift was not to be valued over another. In the Lord’s body today, I think we can apply the same principles to our particular roles and abilities or talents. In an ecosystem, different organisms occupy different niches. There are producers, decomposers, herbivores, scavengers, and more. All are necessary. The role of decomposers may not sound very glamorous, but I wouldn’t want to live in a world without them! We should never feel that we are insignificant members of the body of Christ! If we are working members, we are contributing to the healthy growth of the body – the church. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)
I came across a couple of poems several years ago that remind me that there is always something I can do to be a working, healthy, productive member of the Lord’s body, even when I’m feeling that I don’t know what to do or how to help or how to serve. The first poem was written by Jessie Granville and is entitled “But I Can’t Do Anything.”
Can you bake a pie? Can you mix a cake? Can you catch some fish down at the lake? Can you sing a song? Can you say a prayer? Can you shave a face? Can you style some hair? Can you use a computer? Can you write a letter to send to a friend to make him feel better? Can you walk a dog? Can you read a book? Can you show some young one how to cook? We all can't preach, but we all can serve. It just takes some thought and a little nerve. So "gird up your loins," jump into the fray, and see what God can do with you today!
There is always a way to serve – a way to use our abilities to “work heartily.” Don’t wish to be able to serve the way others can serve. Serve in the way that you can serve and know that your service is just as needed and important as anyone else’s. Even Moana (Disney movie character) knew the importance of different roles as she sang, “Everything is by design. I know everybody on this island has a role on this island.” (Yeah, I might have watched this movie a few times with my granddaughter!) But above all, let’s not forget these other words that Paul had to say to the Corinthians about their spiritual gifts. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (I Corinthians 13:1-3) No matter what gifts the Corinthians possessed, if they weren’t used in love and to show love for others, they weren’t beneficial for the growth of the body. The same is true for each of us in the Lord’s church today, so find your niche, “work heartily,” and serve with love.
The Gift That I've Got (author unknown) In the church today, this is my task - for the members like me to take time to ask, "In the work of the Lord, what can I do?" And be Christian enough to carry it through, never complaining that others don't teach, or try with me, some soul to reach. But use for the Master the gift that I've got, even though I may not be given a lot. Like a picture puzzle, I'm but one small part. If I'll find my place and then just start to fill that place the best that I can and show Christianity to my fellowman, the church today will continue to grow, the limits of which we'll never know. So let us unite our visions and dreams. Christianity is not as hard as it seems. In the church today, we each have our call. There's none of us that can do it all. So let's each develop the gift we were given and all work together on our way to heaven.
If a tree falls in the forest, it still has value. How much more valuable should you feel as a working, serving member of the body of Christ? You’re not a dead tree!
Very informative and well written. Makes a person stop and think just what am I doing in God’s ” ecosystem”. A lot here to ponder on. Enjoyed.
Another wonderful blog. Thank you once again!
Great lesson, loved it.