Lichens. What awesome organisms!
Did you know they encrust up to 8% of the Earth’s surface, covering all sorts of objects – rocks, trees, roofs, fences, cliffs, surfaces of deserts, and more?
And there are lots of wonderful words to describe them too – crustose (crusty), foliose (leafy), leprose (dusty), fruticose (branched) and my favourite, squamulose (scaly). Go on, say it out loud – “squamulose” – such a pleasing word to roll around the tongue!
One of my favourite lichens is the map lichen (Rhizocarpon geographicum) because it really does look like a map. And you can imagine the pixies drinking from the aptly named pixie cup lichen (Cladonia pyxidata) with it’s tiny funnel-shaped protrusions. Then there’s the hanging beard-like ones (more on these later) that can transform a forest into a magical kingdom where unicorns roam, Ents stroll between the trees and fairies flit across dappled glades.
Or is it just me that sees these things?
Like lichens, we followers of Jesus come in many varieties, and our differences are essential to the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-13, 18).
In this post: three fantastic facts about lichens that show how together we can function powerfully as Jesus’ body here on Earth…
1. Lichens are a powerful force of nature
Lichens are incredibly powerful. They’re fond of rock (you’ll no doubt have seen many a lichen encrusted boulder – quite annoying for geologists when they want to see what the rock actually looks like…) and phsically break up their surfaces by the force of their growth. But they also use acids and mineral bearing compounds to dissolve and digest the rock which reduces them to a clay-like consistency.
However, they don’t just destroy. The action of lichens gives rise to the first soils in new ecosystems. So a lichen’s power allows the growth of new life.
A bit like the Body of Christ…
Together we can be a force to be reckoned with, powerful in love as we help people meet with Jesus. Creating soil that is good for seeds to grow (Matt 13:8, 23).
[Fun fact: A portion of the minerals in your body probably passed through a lichen at some point!]2. Lichens work better together
Lichens are a classic example of a symbiotic relationship – where several organisms have joined together to build this life form. Fungi provide physical protection and obtain nutrients, while algae or photosynthetic bacteria gather light and carbon dioxide to make sugars and lipids for energy. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship for both organisms that make up a lichen.
And the Body of Christ is like that…
Each part (that’s you) working with other parts (other believers) creates something much more powerful, much more loving than any one of us could be alone. You could say the complete body is far better than the sum of its parts.
And praise God for that.
All of us have times of difficulty and may ‘fall down’ sometimes, but this is not a problem when the whole fellowship is there to help you up again (Eccl 4:10). You’re never alone in the Body of Christ and other believers will help you on your journey, as you can for them. We are stronger together.
3. Lichens thrive in unpolluted environments
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Lichens love clean air. And they’re great air quality indicators due to their sensitivity to air pollution. They take nutrients out of the air to survive but can’t filter it because they have no roots or protective surface. So if the air also contains pollutants these can accumulate in the lichen, killing it.
The Body of Christ is like lichens in this respect…
If we let in the pollution of certain things or attitudes that surround us (e.g. Gal 5: 19-21) the whole body can become polluted. We won’t be a flourishing community able to bear fruit for Christ (John 15:5) because of the toxicity we’ve allowed in.
Fortunately, unlike lichens we do have roots – in Jesus (Col 2:6-7). So we can filter out the pollution that surrounds us in modern life.
The other day I was reminiscing over a trip to S. America where I came across forests of beard-like lichen dangling off the trees (see pic). There was loads of it. You couldn’t move with out touching it! And it reminded me of Aaron’s beard dripping with oil:
“How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the fragrant anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and on to the border of his robe.” – Ps 133:1-2 (NLT)
When the Body of Christ is free from pollution we will flourish and be harmonious with one another, able to go forward together with God’s love and bearing good fruit.
When we work together we can all go in the power of Jesus, remain unpolluted, and thrive. Individually and as the Body of Christ.
God bless xx
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