Of Trees and Churches

I have a huge oak tree in my back yard. I'm no arborist, but my guess is that the tree is at least three-hundred years old. And its dying. Slowly. It shows signs of life to be sure. It drops leaves every fall, buds every winter, and leafs out every spring. But it's dying. I face the reality of its death every time I pick up the large limbs it drops on windy days.

But it's supposed to die, isn't it? Doesn't every living thing have a lifespan? Even if it receives plenty of water, has an intact root system, and never suffers disease...won't it still die someday?

Consider the giant redwoods. They're huge, majestic, and have stood proudly for centuries. And one day they're going to die.

What would happen if a tree could abandon its God-designed reproductive system and instead use its water and light for the sole purpose of growing itself larger and larger? What if my oak tree or the giant redwoods never reproduced? What good would their current size mean for future generations?