Through Stained Glass: Surprise

 

“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily
do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm.
If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
~St. Therese of Lisieux

I didn't know they had a name until last summer. That's when on a hike with a friend at Weldon Springs Park stopped, pointed, and asked, "Do you see it?" It took me a minute, but after shading my eyes from the intense August heat, I said, "The pink flower? Yea. Seems out of place in that tall, weedy grass."

           "Yup. They are called Surprise Lilies." My friend poetically expressed their appreciation of these flowers "because their greening dies out with so many flowering forms in the summer and then in the dearth of August heat - BAM, up they come!" After a silence fell upon us, they elbowed me and said with a grin, "Know why else I like Surprise Lilies? Because another name for them is Resurrection Lilies."

           Yesterday after church, I was in my study, looking out my window, and saw some Surprise Lilies. Of course, my mind went to Jesus's words from our Scripture yesterday. Well, the part before our Gospel lesson:

"27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,[e] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith!"

I don't know. Maybe when Jesus was teaching about faith, trust, and hope, he saw a Surprise Lily. Perhaps the color of it captivated him to a point where he invited the disciples to contemplate the generosity of the Eairth. The invitation to pay attention to ravens and flowers comes in the middle of teaching on stewardship of money. The thesis of Jesus's lecture emphasizes worry about our well-being as an enemy of generous stewardship. Luke adds to that idea of worry by appealing to the story's culmination for the little flock to "Do not be afraid." The fear here seems to be connected to greed — fear that I won't get mine, that I won't have enough — prevents us from seeing what God has done and will do for us.

           Seeing these Surprise Lilies bring me so much pleasure. From their unexpected presence comes a profound reverence. It is not lost on me that to teach about God's pleasure, Jesus places before the disciples a Lily. Jesus teaches that the Lily grows because of God, a reminder that God's generosity and faithfulness extend to the entirety of God's creation. It is as if Jesus is saying God's pleasure is found in the giving.

           I'm glad my friend geeked out about Surprise Lilies. I'll forever experience their joy, which has become mine, whenever I see unexpected beauty in ordinary places.