Short Reflection - Flower Festival Service

May the words of my mouth and the mediations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen

As we look around the church this afternoon we see flowers gathered from all over the globe … local and international … we see all the colours of the rainbow … we see the talents of individual members the Blarney and District Garden & Flower Club coming together to produce a collective work of immense beauty and artistic flair.

One has to ask - from where do these things come … flowers, colour, beauty, art and talent. They are things which point beyond themselves.

Let’s take the flowers which surround us today  …

We come closest to the plants we behold them in their self-chosen environment, — the cacti, sprawling in cylinders in deserts  or fuchsia on the hedgerows in west cork, daisies and the buttercups swaying on the billows of the meadow grass.

It was over a self-sown countryside that our Lord gazed when He said " Consider the lilies."

It has been remarked that " this word of Jesus is almost the only tender word about flowers in all the Bible." Which is the more surprising because the flora of Palestine is abundant and attractive. But it is here that Jesus has chosen to make his point.

We all know that every single flower has arrived at this church by a process which began as a seed … watered by hand, machine or by the clouds bursting, the right nutrients in the soil producing roots, stems and flowers, sunshine and shade … the right balance of everything necessary for growth and picked at the right time when it is at the height of its beauty.

Jesus in this Gospel reading … uses the flowers as an icon … that is - it points to something beyond itself … The flowers … they remind us of how God is provider … providing what we need just when we need it. He then goes on further and reminds his hearers and us that flowers don’t worry about where they are, what they are up to, who’ll provide.

Our world today is a complicated place … we do a lot of worrying and stressing … in a recent survey carried out in the UK some of the common stresses and worries include ...

Rush Hour Travel - 45%

Work - 34%

Managing the balance between work and home - 31%

Children's future - 31%

Financial planning - 29%

Paying household bills - 26%

Shopping - 26%

New technology - 20%

Domestic relationships - 19%

Housework - 16%

Holiday trips - 14%

In the last verse … we’re reminded that there is indeed things we have to deal with … there will be troubles today … but we’re reminded like the Israelites in the desert that God will give us the strength to face whatever we need to face today … His grace, his love, his provision is sufficient for today.

As we look around we see flowers … we’re reminded that the flowers point beyond themselves to their creator who of course is our creator too ... but could we allow those flowers to point us to the reminder that not only is he our creator … but our redeemer and our friend.

Many times over this weekend I have had the opportunity to chat to people reminding them that God is on his throne … he’s concerned about our worries, he’s concerned about our those things which keep us up at night and he loves us unconditionally no matter what we’ve done … no matter how far we’ve wandered …. no matter what’s been done to us.

Sometimes we complicate things which are simple … flowers can remind us that God can provide our needs, flowers remind us that we’re ultimately dependant upon God for all we need. Sometimes we are tempted to look elsewhere but we’re reminded today by the creator that he supplies what we need for today.

How much more valuable are you than flowers or sparrows.

May you know how valuable you are to God. And be able to respond to that value.

Let’s Pray