Warren
"Tra la, it's May, the lusty month of May, that lovely month
when everyone goes blissfully astray."(2) Finally. After more
Winter than we needed. Now the April showers bring May flowers,
and I am ready. You too? A beautiful time of the year in
western Pennsylvania, isn't it? The colors, the textures, the
scents of Spring are in the air. I love it.
I know many of you are gardeners. I have no talent for that
sort of thing (as my wife will attest) - I work well from the
neck up, but when it comes to hands and knees, forget it. But I
can TALK, and this morning I come bringing you a good word
about...petunias.
I have found that gardeners are eager to show azaleas,
roses, and lilies, but I have never had anyone invite me to look
at petunias. Flower shows feature the earliest tulip to the last
poinsettia, but I have never seen exhibits of the petunia.
Brides carry flowers ranging from edelweiss to lilies of the
valley, but no bride would consider carrying a petunia. Everyone
ignores the petunia, but the bloomin' thing goes right on
blooming. The time has come to appreciate it.
Flowers remind me of people, and a group of people has about
as many varieties of "plants" as does a garden. Every group has
"roses" which demand to be handled with care, to be caressed with
kid gloves to avoid pain and hurt. And it is often a joy to see
a few "roses" growing among the thorns. Every group has a few
"azaleas" which produce only if soil and sunshine are to their
liking, and show spectacularly for a while, then fade into the
background. Every group has its "iris" which will rot if not
constantly in the sunshine. The list is endless: from the
"asters" that wilt to the "snapdragons" that rust, from the
shrinking "violets" to the stubborn "glads." There is the regal
"chrysanthemum" that stands out in a crowd and fits into a
situation only if in command, and the tender "morning glory"
which blooms at the beginning of a day but fades at noon. Every
variety of people needs some special attention to make it
bloom---except the "petunia." For petunias, just planting them
is enough.
Perhaps you can begin to understand why "petunias" are so
dear to my heart. They are those folks who go right on doing
their part without any special attention. No one fusses over
them, pampers them, or cultivates them. No one praises them for
their dependability or loyalty (although that would surely be
deserved).
But, like the petunia in the garden, they do not seem to
mind. They contribute their effort without expecting to win a
blue ribbon. They give of their beauty without begrudging the
demands of others. They cause no trouble, create no commotion.
Like the petunias, they just keep blooming the best they can.
It takes all kinds of people to make this world. Every
pastor knows that some varieties will always need special
attention to help them bloom. We expect that. There are always
those who need extra encouragement and those who want to be
recognized for every deed. There are always those who want to
feel important. This is all in a day's work. But when the day
is finished and perhaps has been especially difficult and
disappointing, there rises from the quiet of a pastor's heart
this simple prayer, "Dear Lord, thank you for the `petunias'!"
Once Jesus talked of the beauty of flowers. Do you
remember? "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they
neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his
glory was not clothed like one of these."(3) If the occasion had
arisen, I suspect Jesus might, on some other day have said,
"Consider the petunias. They are special."
Yes, there are some whose understanding of religion involves
the expectation of great things. That has been true since
ancient days. The scripture lesson asks, "With what shall I come
before the LORD...burnt offerings, with calves a year
old?...thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
...my firstborn?" No, none of that. "[God] has told you, O man
[...and O woman], what is good. And what does the LORD require
of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk HUMBLY with
your God."
April showers bring May flowers. Now we are invited again
to the Lord's Table...prepared for our nourishment, as always, by
humble folks who labor without thought of recognition or
reward..."petunias" in the beautiful portion of God's garden
called the First Presbyterian Church of Warren, Pennsylvania.
Come...and be fed...and think kindly of God's petunias.
Amen!
1. Adapted from a PresbyNet note sent by Roland Wiederaenders, Clifton TX, 9/21/94
2. Lerner & Lowe, Camelot, 1960
3. Matthew 6:28-29
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