Jesus used metaphors drawn from nature and stories to teach people about who He was, who God was, and what the kingdom of God was about. His teaching style is fascinating to study. Jesus was very different from what his listeners conceptualized God to be. He did not use lofty language and grand proclamations in his preaching and teaching. He stayed away from intellectual arguments. His simple lessons were ones people could relate to, taught in stories all could understand, and most importantly, spoke to the conditions of their hearts.
In two of the gospels, writers Matthew and Luke narrate Jesus’ efforts to encourage his followers to think about lilies, how they grow. Without much effort on their part, lilies appear resplendent and beautiful in the world. To the Jewish people of the dusty province of Galilee, King Solomon was legendary. Stories of King Solomon’s fame, his achievements, his wealth and gold, his lavish lifestyle, his numerous wives and children, and his poetry and godly wisdom surely took root in their imaginations as they were passed down through the generations. King Solomon, larger than life, would have been culturally embedded in their minds and hearts as the epitome of human splendor and majestic glory. He was greater than all the kings in the earth in both possessions and wisdom.
Within this common understanding, Jesus says a startling thing. A simple, yet unique flower possesses a beauty that far surpasses the splendor and wisdom of Israel’s greatest king. Jesus tells the crowd that God dresses the lily with so much beauty it outshines the full array of Solomon’s glory.
Jesus’ message is timeless, speaking powerfully into lives over the centuries. These ancient words remind his followers today to consider the lilies. How they grow. And how they do not have to work to burst out in shimmering color. And the reason for that.
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War on weeds
One of the fun experiences I had this summer was a lovely Saturday morning spent visiting six beautiful private gardens, all part of our town’s garden club “tour”. From my vantage point, every garden on this tour was amazing. These gardens looked their best – the flowers well-placed, buoyant and colorful, the mulch perfectly applied,
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The Unfinished
In the U.S., the annual Christmas season has an undetermined beginning (is it July? October? November?) and it also has a hard stop. The end date could be December 25, or another day, but that day is the end. I’m sure I’m not alone with a list of extra things to finish – shopping, wrapping,
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Alignment
When I became a teacher, I needed to dive deeper into my own native tongue so I could teach it to students unfamiliar with English. I began a habit of using a dictionary to gain word knowledge and encouraged my students to do the same as they were learning new words. The definition of alignment
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Sent Sparrows
Setting: an ordinary day at work, in a basement office at The Salvation Army, in a somewhat drab brick building on a busy corner in Hartford CT. In this office, there are two windows that are level with the ground, since I work in the “garden level” (AKA basement) of the building. I hear noise
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Lenses
Finally, my new glasses, tailored to exactly correct my vision, had arrived. I was so excited to pick them up at my optometrists’ office. It wasn’t that I was unable to see anything. I am grateful that while I cannot see perfectly without glasses, I do have. To not see a sunset, words, a baby’s
Consider the Lilies 
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