Week Three – Flowers
written by Carol Jewell
“Consider the lilies of the field…”
What a joyful, hopeful experience it is when we first see spring flowers emerge from the cold, hard, sometimes snowy earth after a long, dark winter! It always seems a miracle that these tiny, often frail looking flowers can push up through the soil with such energy bringing joy and delight to those who see them. They are the promise of things to come; longer, lighter, warmer days. Just as stars shining brightly in a dark sky bring hope and guidance to many a traveller, so spring flowers lift the heart and point forward to new life and resurrection.
Have you ever noticed how many flowers are star-shaped? When pressed, as people used to do, you can see this formation clearly and also the beauty at the centre and heart of the flower, often hidden until the petals open. People can be like this too, struggling to make their way in what seems a hard and hopeless situation. Then someone notices them, invites them to coffee or to a meeting, listens to them and makes them feel that they matter. They begin to ‘open up’ like the petals and the heart of the person starts to reveal itself. We are called to ‘shine like stars’ bringing the light and joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the lives of others.
To ponder: In 1 Peter 1:23-25 we read, “You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.”
Just as the bulbs and flowers renew each year, so we can be renewed as we study God’s word and commit ourselves to him, especially during this Lenten period, leading up to the joy of resurrection.
Are you the kind of person who struggles through the winter months and longs for spring?
Try looking each day for the signs of hope and renewal in gardens as small green shoots push up through the soil.
Will you be the person who will notice the ‘loner’, the person on the fringe and draw them in to the warmth and love of Christ through the good news of Jesus?
Prayer: Lord, help me to bring joy and hope into the lives of people I meet, and point them to you to find your love and peace. Amen.
Hymn: Singing the Faith 134 Christ whose glory fills the skies, Christ the true, the only light
Bible link: Matthew 6: 28-29 and 1 Peter 1: 23-26
These Lent reflections are written to link with the 2017 Easter Offering Dedication service, ‘Shine like Stars’ which will be used by most circuits of the Methodist Church in Britain during the weeks following Easter. Orders of service and other resources can be found at www.mwib.org.uk
