FROM REVD STEPHEN WILLIAMS 

CAMELSIDE BENEFICE

A few months ago, you may remember that the BBC reported on the savage felling of a sycamore tree which had been nestled in a gap in Hadrian's Wall.
A national outpouring of shock and dismay followed its felling in September.
Police were investigating what happened in what they call a "deliberate act of vandalism". Just a stump is now left –

However, it appears that new life has sprung from the rescued seeds and twigs of the Sycamore Gap tree, giving hope that the iconic tree has a future.
This is because seedlings were taken from the tree when young twigs and seeds were thrown to the ground when the tree toppled and was salvaged by the National Trust, which cares for the site with the Northumberland National Park Authority.

The BBC inquired about what happened to those specimens and were taken to the facility that was looking after them. The BBC said they can't disclose the exact location of the high security greenhouse, except that it was somewhere in Devon.
 

The National Trust is still deciding what to do with the seedlings once they are strong enough. If the stump does not regrow, one might replace it. But for now, the priority is nurturing the tiny shoots. Until then, these seedlings hundreds of miles away are primed - each one waiting to see if it could be the next Sycamore Gap tree.
 

Easter is just around the corner. In John’s gospel Jesus likens himself to a seedling that falls into the ground.

Predicting His own death and the meaning of this He says that when He dies and goes into the ground there will be many seeds and shoots and fruit growing from the death of the One who will fall into the ground; but that this death needs to happen for new plants and fruit to grow. He is alluding of course to both His death and resurrection.
The powerful message of Easter is that death is not the end of the story and that through the sacrifice and resurrection from the death of one man, new hope, and the promise of new life is offered to all who trust in Him.

And that hope of eternal life is not a vain hope, nor an empty hope, not a fairy tale, but based on the experience of millions of Christians over the centuries who have come to know His life at the centre of their lives.

So happy Easter everybody!