Rooted and Grounded in Love

 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV).

 

We were gifted a Live Oak sapling grown from an acorn produced by the Century Tree on the campus of Texas A&M University (picture attached). It is a southern live oak, which is a sprawling tree best known from the images of the antebellum South. The Live Oak’s tap root dominates its growth for several years; in time, lateral roots in the top three feet of soil outgrow the tap root and provide even more stability for its sprawling growth. Last year (2021) we had one of the coldest periods of time on record in Texas. Snow and ice covered the ground for over a week and temperatures stayed below freezing, often in the teens throughout each day. The storm wreaked havoc on much of the vegetation in our area. Our little sapling, only about four feet tall at the time, froze to the ground. Fearing it was lost we could only hope the roots sustained it through the bitter cold. Later in the spring we watched with anticipation and were rewarded with new growth at the base of the tree. It recovered nearly all of its height and is fuller than before. The root system sustained it. 

 

Our reading today is one of the longest sentences in the Bible, containing one hundred six words. Each of these words expresses one central truth: believers are indeed to be “grounded and rooted” in the love of Christ. Webster defines root as: "the usual underground part of a seed plant body… functions as an organ of absorption, aeration, and food storage or as a means of anchorage and support…" Thus, we are rooted in the love of Christ where we feed upon the Lord; we are anchored in the Lord, and are supported by the Lord. The word translated "grounded" comes from an architectural term representing a strong foundation which is the love of Christ.

 

No matter what storm may suddenly threaten your life, it is this love of Christ, proven by His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection that will keep you secure and safe. Even when it looks as if all life is destroyed, the “root” remains bringing eternal life in the end. Like the Century Tree, we will stand in the end!