“Consider the Lilies of the Field”

Do we? Do we take time to consider the lessons of the simple flowers that surround us?

I like lilies. They’re some of my favourite flowers. I’ve planted them in most of the homes where I’ve lived – a snippet of beauty emerging from the soil to literally colour my day.

This week, in walking past some lilies, I spent some time considering them… the daylilies that open each morning and close each evening... the specialty asiatic lilies, whose tiny flowers resting atop dense greenery providing an early bloom in the garden. The spotted tigers or stargazers, whose exuberance in opening ensures it is noticed among the other flowers. The list continues.

Lilies are definitely worth noticing – and considering.

They carry with them the symbolism of femininity and fertility, rooted (pardon the pun) in the tales of Greek gods Hera and Zeus. They grow from hardy bulbs, not seeds, and so are easily transported and resilient in a wide variety of temperatures (sometimes unknown to us by the critters that dig them up!)

Lilies offer their distinct aroma – with enthusiasm! Which attracts bees and other pollinators throughout the season, thereby supporting ecosystems and food systems.

They can be consumed (ask any deer about their preferred variety!), their colours are enjoyable, they are ornamental for quite a long duration, they fit in every style of garden. In some places, they grow as weeds in ditches; ornamenting roadways with their elegance. It’s no mistake they are used in holiday bouquets, as a symbol of the Resurrection, and in heraldry.

And they offer to us so much more.

When Jesus invites us to consider the lilies of the fields, he is inviting us to consider not just the ascetic reality that they offer, or the obvious reminder to trust in God’s ever-present care. He is further giving us a metaphor: to appreciate the flexibility and versatility of the plants; growing where they are planted, blooming with the full potential they contain, offering their gifts freely regardless of their surroundings.

The lilies of the field are sprinkled throughout, as a means to remind us all of the beauty that God gives to the earth – and to us. And in reminding us to consider these wild flowers, Jesus reminds us to stop and be amazed by the beauty of the earth.

For it is there: growing in us and through us and for us: blooming joy into our hearts, and inspiring us to consider how we may brighten the world around us just as the lilies brighten our lives.