Gospel & Trees, Week 4: Windthrow
Scripture: Luke 23:33–43
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Devotion
Windthrow happens when storms uproot even the strongest trees, exposing roots and tearing apart the landscape. The crucifixion of Jesus was such a storm; a devastating upheaval that revealed both human cruelty and, in death, the extent of divine compassion. Yet from the windthrow of the crucifixion event came resurrection life. The thief beside Jesus also receives mercy in the midst of chaos: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
Even when faith feels uprooted, the Spirit is already preparing the soil for renewal. God turns devastation into fertile ground for hope.
Questions
When have you felt spiritually or emotionally uprooted, and how did God bring restoration?
What “fallen trees” in your community or church might God be using to prepare for new life?
How can we hold onto the promise of paradise amid life’s storms?
John Wesley
“Though troubles assail and dangers affright, the Lord will provide.”
In every storm, grace takes root again. There is comfort in knowing that God doesn’t cause windthrow but rather is with us when it comes and endures it with us.
Prayer
Redeeming Lord, when storms uproot our certainties, plant in us the hope of resurrection. Help us trust that your Spirit works even in the wreckage. May the cross remind us that no loss is final and that new life always grows from fallen places. Amen.