Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love the crisp morning air, the shifting arc of the sun, and most of all the fall colors. Our new home in Saint Michael is surrounded by a variety of old, tall trees, and the mixture of greens and yellows and reds and oranges in our yard has been truly breathtaking at times. As I’ve reflected on the beauty that surrounds us, I’ve asked myself two questions. Why do the leaves change colors in the fall, anyway? And, how does this seasonal display of color reflect the glory of God?
In answer to the first question, let me review what many of you already know. Trees and plants take water from the ground through their roots and carbon dioxide from the air. They then combine the water and carbon dioxide with light to produce two things: oxygen and glucose. The oxygen is expelled into the air and the glucose is sent from the leaves into the interior of the tree providing it with “food” to grow. The process by which oxygen and glucose are created and utilized is, of course, called photosynthesis, and this process is aided by the chlorophyll that’s found in leaves. Chlorophyll is what makes leaves look green throughout the spring, summer, and early fall.
As summer wanes and the fall sets in, the days get shorter and the air gets cooler both of which tell the tree that it’s time to get ready for winter. During the winter, trees essentially hibernate and live off the glucose they’ve stored up over the spring and summer. As trees transition from being fully alive to being hibernate, the chlorophyll slowly drains from their leaves causing them to transform from green to various shades of red, yellow, orange, and brown, depending on the particular type and chemical composition of the tree. When most of the chlorophyll is gone and the leaves have died, they generally detach from the tree so as not drain it of vital resources during the winter months.
Wow, that’s amazing, and it leads us to the second question: how does this seasonal display of color reflect the glory of God? First, every tree is a visible display of the scientific and engineering genius of God. We see them in so many places and at so many times that we tend to take them for granted. But each tree is a living testament to the brilliance of God. Second, the process and display of the fall colors reveals the creativity and artistry of God. While we can explain what makes leaves turn a variety of colors, we must admit that God could have made things work in some other way. That he chose to make things work this way shows the quality of Artist he is.
Finally, when seen as one part of the entire seasonal process, the fall colors help every tree to proclaim the gospel. The hibernation of trees is a metaphor for death, while the leafing of trees is a metaphor for resurrection. The fall colors vividly draw our attention to the former and call upon us to anticipate the latter. In this way they play a vital part in nature’s constant declaration of the glory of the gospel of God (see Psalm 19:1-2; Romans 8:18-22).
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