Well, friends, spring arrived in my neck of North Carolina while my wife and I were in Lancaster, PA at this year’s Square Halo Conference. Square Halo’s a wonderful two-day conference for those thinking about how art and creativity intersect. It is a community big on collaboration, and I am grateful for how they’ve worked to collaborate with other artists and groups of artists across the US and the world.

As I was saying, spring arrived. And one of my favorite things about spring is that the almond tree on the grounds of the church that I pastor is now blooming. This tree was planted in 2018 by some friends who heard my longing for such a tree after preaching a series on Jeremiah. Our church’s almond tree first bloomed in March of 2020. I cannot tell you how timely that was for me. As we entered the Covid pandemic, I was able to see a living picture of the Lord’s promise of presence and faithfulness. That tree has been preaching to me through the seasons ever since. I highly recommend getting one for yourself.

So, how does this almond tree preach? Firstly, the almond is an early flowering tree. It is one of the first trees to bloom, and it oftentimes does so before ‘spring-ness’ has arrived. The almond blossom takes on the symbol of a fore-sign of the good that is coming even though the present circumstances don’t seem to show it.

The almond tree makes several appearances in the Bible. The menorah candelabra in the Tabernacle and the Temple was fashioned to look like an almond tree — with leaves and blossoms. The almond tree also makes and appearance in Jeremiah 1. In Jeremiah 1 we read that the Lord calls Jeremiah into ministry at an early age. Jeremiah questions as to whether he’s worthy or old enough to be of any use to the Lord let alone have anything to say that his people would be inclined to hear. The Lord answers Jeremiah with a question. Apparently, Jeremiah is having his conversation with the Lord in the spring of the year outside somewhere. The Lord asks Jeremiah, What do you see? Jeremiah looks and replies, I see an almond branch. To which the Lord responds, “You see well son, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” Now that sounds good in so far as we understand it in English, but embedded in the Hebrew is something more.

The Hebrew word for almond is “shaqeed”. Jeremiah says, “I see a shaqeed.” And the Lord responds, You see well son, because I am shoqued (watching over). Right here in this significant moment of calling, and right in the moment of doubt and unconfidence, the Lord responds to Jeremiah with a sort of ‘dad joke’…a pun. I find that delightful. What kind of father is our Heavenly Father? The Lord uses the almond pun to assure Jeremiah, that just a child desires their parents’ approval at something they are undertaking, Jeremiah’s Lord and Heavenly Father is watching approvingly over Him. And the beautiful thing is that whenever Jeremiah saw an almond tree from that day on, he not only saw an almond tree, but he heard the Lord saying that he was shoqued-ing over Jeremiah. Now, that’ll help you.

Today’s poem is one I’ve been reworking since 2020. It is my Jeremiah 1, almond tree poem. I’ve borrowed a line from Eugene Peterson who somewhere translated “almond branch” to “almond stick.” He employed stick to try and get at the pun of shaqeed and shoqued. I’ve borrowed it here in my poem. I hope it helps you as it has helped me. So happy spring. If it’s not where you are yet, take heart. The almond tree is blooming.

What Do You See?