In the Fall of 2019 just before the pandemic, Pastor Gary VanderPol, of Church Without Walls, Berkeley, where I serve as a spiritual director, introduced the image of the redwood tree in a sermon series titled, “From Survival to Revival.” Redwood trees, the tallest, oldest and most majestic of trees, have very shallow roots. The redwood tree maintains its stability by intertwining its roots with other redwood trees. Although the redwood tree looks tall and separate above ground, it stands strongest when connected to other redwood trees via this underground network of roots. Likewise, Christians, though they may be strong in their individual faiths, are most stable when closely connected to other Christians.
Throughout the pandemic, I have continued my practice as a spiritual director in multiple settings: Protestant, Catholic, and private practice. Before Covid, I only had one directee I met virtually. It seemed like overnight, all my individual sessions and spiritual direction groups were converted to virtual meetings. In addition to individual and group spiritual direction, I accompanied six people through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, meeting weekly with each of them on zoom for the better part of a year.
With seemingly everyone and everything going virtual, I wondered, can this really work? Will I be able to connect with people as well online as I do in person? Will I be as sensitive to the Holy Spirit? And, if so, for how long? Like many others, I was surprised to find how well it worked to meet virtually, even in groups. Even with many becoming fatigued with zoom birthdays and social gatherings, meeting for group spiritual direction has continued to have momentum and energy. Vulnerability in sharing has not been hampered and, for some, even enhanced. Christians continue to feel supported and connected to each other.
This year I have had the wonderful experience of facilitating a spiritual direction group through New College Berkeley with student leaders from UC Berkeley. The students were faithful, open, and in tune with what the Holy Spirit was doing. Their faith has been built up by their close Christian fellowship. As a couple of these students graduate and look for a new spiritual home in different geographic locales, I wonder if a virtual community could help bridge their transition into post-college church life. What if spiritual direction groups or other types of faith-sharing groups could offer, maintain or encourage a place of deep stabilizing connection for young Christians...real, but virtually? And, with the migration of people these days, the closing of churches and other disruptive influences perhaps that Spirit-filled “root system” could not just help a Christian survive, but thrive or even help revive their faith. What if we could gather Christians who would benefit from the encouragement and companionship of those in similar situations and promote the supportive intertwining of spiritual roots across physical distance? Perhaps this is part of how God will grow and sustain the modern church and we have gracefully discovered it in this most challenging time.
In reflection on the analogy of redwood trees, I appreciated what the California Department of Parks and Recreation has to say about redwoods. “These trees have shallow root systems that extend over one hundred feet from the base, intertwining with the roots of other redwoods. This increases their stability during strong winds and floods.” This description calls to mind the following verses. “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.” Matthew 7:24-27 (The Message). Let us continue to listen to the voice of Jesus and discern what He is teaching us.
Sharon Henthorn-Iwane is a spiritual director working with New College Berkeley, and elsewhere.