Gotta Love Fake Flowers
The Holy Gospel for the Second Sunday after Pentecost.
June 14, 2009
Mark 4: 26-34
Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come."
He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
The gospel of the Lord.
My thoughts:
When Carol and I got married and moved in with one another, one of the most drastic (at least most noticeable) changes came in the complete transformation of my bachelor pad. Suddenly, as if over night, the towels in the bathrooms matched the shower curtain, there were pillows on our bed and couch that we didn't even use, and (unfortunately) my favorite Buffalo Bills keg table was moved from the living room to the corner of the office (shame, really). Of all of the changes that she made, however, one of the most drastic was also one of the smallest. When Carol and I moved in with one another she brought with her flowers.
Now it is important to note here that those flowers are not real. They are fake. There are two reasons for that (that I know of). The first is that flowers die too quickly. Therefore it just makes sense to have flowers that will never die (or is it never live?). The other reason is that I rarely (okay never) buy Carol flowers. In my defense, didn't I just mention that they all die!
Regardless, the appearance of plants in my apartment was a huge change from it's previous state. This fall, after moving to Raleigh, Carol came home with another plant only this time it wasn't fake. In fact, it was quite real. A three foot bushy fern sitting in a clay-colored pot, right there, in my living room.
Recognizing that my thumb is not, has never been, will likely never be GREEN, and furthermore recognizing that Carol has never had any success with in-door plants in her life either, I immediately asked the obvious question, "What on earth is this doing here?" I continued, "We're going to kill it! Do you want that on your conscience? We're not ready to care for a plant yet. We don't have the time, the energy, the money. You're crazy."
After letting me vent a bit, Carol chimed in with a little piece of good news, "Shawn", she said, "the lady at the store said we'd have to actually try to kill this plant. Forget to water it, give it too much sun, or too little- doesn't matter. This sucker will simply thrive."
10 months later, that plant is still living, and I have no idea how. We've let for a week at a time and forgot to get someone to water it and we've left it out on the porch through bitter frosts. Still that plant lives.
I couldn't help but think about that plant when I heard Jesus' parable about the seed that grew from this Sunday's gospel. Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a plant that grows. So while we may not be able to explain why, or may even wonder how it continues to grow, one thing is sure we know that it does.
May God's kingdom continue to grow in our world and in our midst. May we see it in young people that put off their careers for a couple of years to serve as volunteers in programs like Peace Corps and Lutheran Volunteer Corps even though we can't figure out why any one would do that. May we see the kingdom of God grow in churches who refuse to let an economic recession mean their outreach must recess. May we see the kingdom of God grow when we witness a simple act of kindness break through the busy and often cut-throat streets we walk.
May the kingdom of God continue to grow, even though we can't explain it. You see, the kingdom of God is like my fern, it will grow and there is nothing we can do to stop.
Things to ponder:
How have you seen the kingdom of God recently?
Why do you think Jesus spoke in parables?
Have you ever seen a mustard shrub?
Your thoughts?
June 14, 2009
Mark 4: 26-34
Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come."
He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
The gospel of the Lord.
My thoughts:
When Carol and I got married and moved in with one another, one of the most drastic (at least most noticeable) changes came in the complete transformation of my bachelor pad. Suddenly, as if over night, the towels in the bathrooms matched the shower curtain, there were pillows on our bed and couch that we didn't even use, and (unfortunately) my favorite Buffalo Bills keg table was moved from the living room to the corner of the office (shame, really). Of all of the changes that she made, however, one of the most drastic was also one of the smallest. When Carol and I moved in with one another she brought with her flowers.
Now it is important to note here that those flowers are not real. They are fake. There are two reasons for that (that I know of). The first is that flowers die too quickly. Therefore it just makes sense to have flowers that will never die (or is it never live?). The other reason is that I rarely (okay never) buy Carol flowers. In my defense, didn't I just mention that they all die!
Regardless, the appearance of plants in my apartment was a huge change from it's previous state. This fall, after moving to Raleigh, Carol came home with another plant only this time it wasn't fake. In fact, it was quite real. A three foot bushy fern sitting in a clay-colored pot, right there, in my living room.
Recognizing that my thumb is not, has never been, will likely never be GREEN, and furthermore recognizing that Carol has never had any success with in-door plants in her life either, I immediately asked the obvious question, "What on earth is this doing here?" I continued, "We're going to kill it! Do you want that on your conscience? We're not ready to care for a plant yet. We don't have the time, the energy, the money. You're crazy."
After letting me vent a bit, Carol chimed in with a little piece of good news, "Shawn", she said, "the lady at the store said we'd have to actually try to kill this plant. Forget to water it, give it too much sun, or too little- doesn't matter. This sucker will simply thrive."
10 months later, that plant is still living, and I have no idea how. We've let for a week at a time and forgot to get someone to water it and we've left it out on the porch through bitter frosts. Still that plant lives.
I couldn't help but think about that plant when I heard Jesus' parable about the seed that grew from this Sunday's gospel. Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a plant that grows. So while we may not be able to explain why, or may even wonder how it continues to grow, one thing is sure we know that it does.
May God's kingdom continue to grow in our world and in our midst. May we see it in young people that put off their careers for a couple of years to serve as volunteers in programs like Peace Corps and Lutheran Volunteer Corps even though we can't figure out why any one would do that. May we see the kingdom of God grow in churches who refuse to let an economic recession mean their outreach must recess. May we see the kingdom of God grow when we witness a simple act of kindness break through the busy and often cut-throat streets we walk.
May the kingdom of God continue to grow, even though we can't explain it. You see, the kingdom of God is like my fern, it will grow and there is nothing we can do to stop.
Things to ponder:
How have you seen the kingdom of God recently?
Why do you think Jesus spoke in parables?
Have you ever seen a mustard shrub?
Your thoughts?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by David Sloop on -
Years ago, I remember reading a most ironic poem. It was titled something like this: The Death of The Man Who Invented Artificial Flowers. You web surfers, please find it. If you do, I just might buy you a beverage!
Gratefully,
PD
-
Permalink Reply by Gordon Keehn on
-
SONNET ON THE DEATH OF THE MAN WHO INVENTED PLASTIC ROSES
by: Peter Meinke
The man who invented the plastic rose is dead.
Behold his mark: his undying flawless blossoms never close but guard his grave unbending through the dark.
He understood neither beauty nor flowers, which catch our hearts in nets as soft as sky and bind us with a thread of fragile hours: flowers are beautiful because they die.
Beauty without the perishable pulse is dry and sterile, an abandoned stage with false forests.
But the results support this man's invention; he knew his age:
A vision of our tearless time discloses artificial men sniffing plastic roses.
(Make mine a Bass Ale.)
David Sloop said:Years ago, I remember reading a most ironic poem. It was titled something like this: The Death of The Man Who Invented Artificial Flowers. You web surfers, please find it. If you do, I just might buy you a beverage!
Gratefully,
PD
-
Permalink Reply by Shawn Hannon on -
Dang it, Gordon! I searched Google for 15 minutes looking for that poem!
-
-
One more sample:
The Poet, Trying to Surprise God
by Peter Meinke
The poet, trying to surprise his God
composed new forms from secret harmonies,
tore from his fiery vision galaxies
of unrelated shapes, both even & odd.
But God just smiled, and gave His know-all nod
saying, "There's no surprising One who sees
the acorn, root, and branch of centuries;
I swallow all things up, like Aaron's rod.
So hold this thought beneath your poet-bonnet:
no matter how free-seeming flows your sample
God is by definition the unsurprised."
"Then I'll return," the poet sighed, "to sonnets
of which this is a rather pale example."
"Is that right?" said God. "I hadn't realized...."
About
© 2009 Created by Shawn Hannon on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
