Your Last Day
Word From Wiese
November 5, 2025
If you knew tomorrow would be your last day of life, what would you do?
Rally a party with your family and best friends? Pig out on your favorite food and desserts? Catch a flight to your favorite location to snorkel, ski, or hike? Grab your loved ones and walk bare foot in the grass or open a bottle of wine and gaze at the sunset and stars?
One compelling answer is attributed to Martin Luther: “if I knew the world was ending, I’d still plant an apple tree.” Wow.
I find this final-day-bucket-list-item inspirational for three reasons:
- Planting a tree, the fruit of which I wouldn’t be around to eat, reminds me that one’s life—even the last day of life—isn’t only about an individual’s consumeristic experience.
- Planting a fruit tree is a beautiful act of faith and worship. The act demonstrates confidence that our Lord Creator always wants to bring forth life—even new fruit when much might be dying. And that God would bless our planting, nourishing our investment so the tree eventually blossoms and bears fruit.
- Taking time on one’s final day to do something that can feed and bring joy to others says volumes about one’s life perspective. One’s life is not just about “me,” but also “we.” It’s about the Great Command, loving God and neighbors. Taking time to ensure the joy of others is loving faith in action.
One cool way COS folks enact the above scenario is our Apple Tree Society. The ATS is a way we experience great joy now by planting (metaphorical) apple trees for Jesus’ loved ones in the future.
If this possibility intrigues you, I invite you to our fall Apple Tree Society Luncheon & Discussion on Sunday, November 9 in the Fellowship Hall at 12:10 PM. Our special guest is Pastor Ana Lugo from the ELCA Foundation.
We’ll enjoy a complimentary tasty lunch. Even more enticing, Laura Hawkins is baking her delicious home-made apple pie.
As we eat, we’ll hear and celebrate how participation in our COS Apple Tree Society:
- Can help us save on or avoid taxes
- Is easier to set up than we might think
- Creates momentum for ministry, like Ron Bowman’s recent gift toward Palmetto Road
- Prompts a more dynamic and strategic overall plan for our future
- Leaves a legacy of values for our children
- Empowers Jesus’ agenda at COS even after we join the Lord
We’ll also sing Happy Birthday to Martin Luther since it’s his 542nd birthday on Monday. After all, it’s Luther’s declaration about apple-tree-planting-faithfulness after which this movement is named.
Please RSVP at [email protected] by the end of TODAY, Wednesday, November 5. This will help
our hospitality team prepare the right amount of lunch and dessert.
Pastor Ana’s free and faithful advice (which she can continue with folks on a personal basis, if they wish) will help us reflect holistically on our future objectives, weaving together our legacy hopes for both family and faith.
As you heard Kevin Hawkins share last Sunday, planting legacy seeds in the Apple Tree Society is certainly a marvelous expression of our Generosity Series this fall, Growing Hope.
Friends, I hope that today is years away from your last day. But I pray you live it with passion and appreciation.
Growing Hope with you,
Pastor Fritz Wiese, Kevin Hawkins, and Scott Bosecker