Rooted

Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Liturgical Context: Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter (Year A)
Lectionary Source: Revised Common Lectionary (Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Today’s Lectionary Readings

• Psalm 102:1-17
  An urgent, exhausted lament from one feeling overwhelmed by affliction, whose days are "vanishing like smoke" and whose heart feels "withered like grass."
• Proverbs 3:13-18
  A celebration of the immense value of wisdom, describing understanding as a "tree of life" to those who take hold of her.
• John 8:31-38
  Jesus speaks to those who have believed in him, promising that if they abide in his word, they will know the truth, and the truth will set them free.

Featured Scripture

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
— John 8:32

Associated Artwork

Title: The Olive Trees (Olive Trees with the Alpilles in the Background) (1889)
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Location: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York

Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic series of olive trees while staying at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. The deeply gnarled, twisting trunks and the turbulent energy of the brushstrokes reflect the profound suffering and exhaustion of the human experience. Yet, in the midst of that swirling chaos, the trees remain firmly rooted and bursting with vibrant, enduring life. They capture the tension between the withered exhaustion described in Psalm 102 and the steadfast "tree of life" found in Proverbs 3.

Reflection

If you spend more than five minutes glancing at the news or scrolling through social media today, it is incredibly easy to relate to the author of Psalm 102. Between the constant onslaught of global conflicts, economic anxiety, and the polarization within our own communities, we often find ourselves echoing the Psalmist: "My heart is stricken and withered like grass; I am too wasted to eat my bread." We are living in an exhausting era. Everywhere we turn, people are aggressively shouting their version of the truth, trying to win arguments, secure their own sense of control, or prove that their side is right.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus steps right into a very similar kind of noise. He is speaking to people who are clinging tightly to their heritage and their own self-reliance in order to feel secure. People who proudly declare, "We have never been slaves to anyone!" They view truth as something they already possess by right; a fact to be wielded rather than a reality to be lived.

But Jesus offers a radically different kind of truth. He says, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Notice that Jesus doesn't just hand them a list of facts to help them win a debate. He invites them into a relationship. True freedom doesn't come from simply being right, having the most wealth (which Proverbs reminds us is far less valuable than wisdom), or being entirely self-sufficient. Genuine freedom comes from abiding, from rooting our everyday, messy lives deeply in the teachings and presence of Christ.

When the daily headlines and the quiet crises in our own homes leave us feeling withered and burned out, we don't have to manufacture our own strength. We are invited to anchor ourselves in the wisdom of God, which Proverbs calls a "tree of life." Like Van Gogh's olive trees, we will certainly feel the weathering of the world around us. But when we are rooted in the truth of Christ's love, we find a solid, enduring life that the world's chaos cannot sweep away.

Closing Prayer

God of Truth, when the noise of the world leaves us feeling withered and overwhelmed, help us to pause and abide in your word. Remind us that we do not have to carry the weight of everything on our own shoulders. Plant us deeply in your wisdom, that we might experience the true freedom that only comes from knowing you. In the name of the risen Christ, Amen.