Many trees line the streets of Armidale in the New England region of New South Wales. It is the result of a vision implemented by residents of Armidale many years ago. A key person among those residents was Alwyn Jones, one-time Senior Circuit Steward in the Methodist church in this area. At various times, Alwyn also served on the Armidale Council, the Armidale Cemetery Committee, the local Rotary Club, Armidale High School Parents’ & Citizens’ Association, the Council of the University of New England, a range of committees related to the beautification of Armidale and as a Meals-on-Wheels volunteer. Alwyn had a real vision for community; and he acted on it.
These trees are now an important Armidale tourist attraction. Each Autumn visitors come from far and wide to see the beautiful colours. As the leaves of the trees change from various shades of green to a range of Autumn hews. The trees are also an important feature of Armidale’s environment. Their shade in summer keeps us cool and in winter when the branches are bare, they allow the sun through to heat our homes. Each year in Autumn, the Armidale Uniting Church and Armidale-Dumaresq Council remember Alwyn’s vision through the presentation of the Alwyn Jones Community Service Award to someone who has had wide, “ongoing and long-standing commitment to the Armidale-Dumaresq area” through “voluntary community service” which has added to the life of this community. The intention is to honour people of vision and commitment like Alwyn.
In the readings for the second week of Advent this year, we hear visions offered from 5 different sources about the new world offered by God. These visions come from messengers who herald that new world. From Malachi, we hear of God’s refining on the day of the coming of the Lord and the messenger who will announce it. In the first chapter of Luke, we have Zechariah’s song of hope for the future foretold by prophets and of the envisioned role of the infant John. From the third chapter of Luke, we have John the Baptist preaching in the tradition of Isaiah proclaiming the coming of a new age. From the letter to the Philippians, we have a Pauline vision of “the day of Christ” whose reality is being begun in the people of God. They are all visions of a world of compassion and peace, love and justice, salvation, liberation and freedom, and of the messengers who herald its coming.
There are new tree-plantings recently put in along the creek in Armidale—the result of the work of some more visionary people. At this stage, it’s hard to imagine what the creek bank might look like in 10 or 20 or 50 years time, but someone has had the vision, made the commitment and persevered to see the vision begin to be implemented. I’m going to be interested to watch how the results of this vision unfold.
Alwyn got to see the fruit of his vision. He died in 2005 when many of his beloved trees had reached their mature beauty. Looking at the results of Alwyn’s vision, it can be tempting to think that having and implementing such vision is easy. We can get excited about the trees and the colours, and the legacy. But on the ground floor, having and implementing that kind of vision takes an awful lot of foresight, commitment and perseverance.
Fortunately, when we’re talking about the vision of God’s new world, we’re not talking about a vision that is ours, but God's; and we’re also not talking about a vision that we implement—that too is God’s work. But we are talking about a vision that we are called to herald. We are called to be the messengers through whom God’s commonwealth of justice and peace is proclaimed, and the communities in whom it is begun. We are called to act in confident hope that God’s promises are being fulfilled.
When I look at this new tree planting, I thank God that other people have caught the kind of vision to which Alwyn was committed; and I pray that I and the congregation here in Armidale may also continue to catch and act in the vision of God’s promised realm of justice and peace for the glory and praise of God. I pray that you have caught and are willing to act on that vision too!
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