The Book of Genesis tells us about a man named Methuselah, a guy who lived a record-breaking 969 years. He had what's called "the marathon mentality," which is the wisdom you gain as you grow older, wisdom that takes the long view and sees the big picture.

But guess what? The man named Methuselah was a mere BABY compared to "The Methuselah Tree," a bristlecone pine tree that is now more than 46 centuries old. Yes, this tree, which is part of Inyo National Forest in California, was a seedling way back before the Egyptian Pyramids went up -- and it's still alive today.

What's its secret?

Is it the marathon mentality? Or something else?

You're going to be surprised by the conditions under which the Methuselah Tree has accomplished this extraordinary feat. You might think that the environment would have to be extremely friendly to support a tree for 4600 years -- but you'd be wrong. Conditions are actually horribly harsh at the 10,000-foot elevation where Methuselah and other ancient bristlecones grow. These trees face cold temperatures, strong winds, minimal water and almost no nutrients.

So, what's Methuselah's secret? How can it survive, much less thrive, in a place that would strike fear into the trunks of virtually any other trees?

It turns out that the bristlecone pine has evolved survival strategies that help it to cope with one of the most austere and unfriendly environments on the planet. Methuselah's adaptations include extensive roots, disease resistance, and small size. (Peter Tyson, "A Tree's Secret to Living Long," NOVA Online, November 2001, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/long.html)

These strategies are the basis of the tree's marathon mentality. And maybe Methuselah has something to teach the church today.

The prophet Isaiah certainly wasn't afraid to look to TREES for inspiration. In today's passage, he speaks of God's Word as a force that comes down from heaven like the rain and the snow, bringing refreshment and growth and nourishment to the earth. God's Word always accomplishes its goal, inspiring us to go out in joy and be led back in peace, and joining our jubilation are mountains and hills that "burst into song," and trees of the field that "clap their hands" (Isaiah 55:12).

Yes, the trees of the field actually "clap their hands." Don't ask how -- just use your imagination.

The cypress tree and the myrtle shrub shall grow up, says the prophet, and they "shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off" (v. 13). These plants are a sign of the wonderful new things that God is doing in human life -- the days of judgment are over, says Isaiah, and new life is now available to all who repent.

It's probably no accident that the tree growing up in this biblical passage is a cypress. These particular trees were used extensively for shipbuilding in the ancient Middle East, and grew abundantly in the area. Many believe that Noah used cypress wood for the ark -- a vessel that carried faithful people safely through a time of judgment, and delivered them to a place of new life.

Just like the church.

So what are the trees saying to us today? What is the lesson of the cypress and the bristlecone pine, trees that want to teach the church how to be an ark of safety in a stormy sea, and a place of new life in an austere and unfriendly environment? What can we learn from these organisms that will help us to grow a healthy church for new members like Nicholas and Jenny, baptized today?

Their secret: The marathon mentality.

This means no quick fixes. No trendy twists. No gaudy gimmicks. Just a focus on extensive roots, disease resistance, and small size.

Bristlecone pines know that if they live in challenging environments, then they must put down extensive roots to maximize the intake of scant resources. Churches such as ours, ministering in a very secular society, must concentrate on putting down deep roots in our community, so that we can make the most of the gifts God gives us. By being known as a place where Scripture is faithfully studied and proclaimed, we can take full advantage of God's promise that his Word will not return to him empty. This Word shall accomplish that which God intends, promises Isaiah, like the rain and the snow which come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth (vv. 10-11).

A true marathon mentality, for trees and for churches, must also include a strategy for resisting disease. The Methuselah Tree has a dense, highly resinous wood that is an effective barrier to invasion by insects and bacteria -- and in similar manner our church is challenged to create barriers to crippling invaders. These can be as simple as financial controls to prevent the theft of church offerings, or as detailed as policies and programs to prevent child sexual abuse.

Insects are no problem for us, but an embezzler or pedophile can quickly cripple even the healthiest of congregations. Just look at what's happening in the Catholic Church today.

Finally, bristlecone pines teach us that small size is one of the greatest of survival strategies. In fact, it is an approach that has allowed certain individual trees to live longer than entire civilizations. When the green part of a tree dies from a lightning strike, for instance, the tree copes by letting an equally significant part of its tissue and bark die as well. This way, the remaining greenery has a smaller total organism to support. Some particularly ancient bristlecones have only a thin strip of living bark left, which sustains a single living branch bearing but a few living twigs and needles.

In a sense, these ancients have gone back to being seedlings. The bristlecone allows most of itself to die, so that a small part of it can live.

What's the lesson for our church? To allow old and outdated practices and patterns to die, so that new forms of church life can live. To encourage small groups within the church to constantly be in the business of creating additional small groups, so that growth continues. To see the success of the church as being measured over the course of millennia, not over days or months or years.

There is evidence that some really large churches -- megachurches -- are now experiencing slower growth rates, due in part to their lack of personal connection and intimacy. Some of them are responding by looking for ways to become more intimate internally -- establishing sub-groups, redesigning worship spaces to facilitate conversation, and setting up offshoot churches. "As the church grows larger, the church must grow smaller." So says my colleague Pierce Klemmt, rector of Christ Church in Alexandria, a 3,000-member Episcopal congregation. "Whatever you do," he says, "meet in small groups."

Small size is one of the bristlecone's greatest secrets, and one of the church's greatest survival strategies. It is something we will be looking at in our fall festival this September, which will focus on building small groups and strengthening our sense of community here at FPC.

If we take these tips from the trees, we'll be an ark of safety in stormy seas, and a place of new life in an unfriendly environment. With such a marathon mentality, we'll be able to draw deeply on the gifts of God, and join the world of nature in clapping and growing and giving glory to our Creator. With the same kind of endurance and strength as the bristlecone pine, we'll be able to go out in joy, and be led back in peace.

Even old Methuselah will be amazed. Amen.

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