“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” – Matthew 6:28-30

Good morning! There have been a lot of celebrations on the calendar over the past few days. Thursday our granddaughter, Beks, became a teenager; Friday was Juneteenth; Saturday our son Andrew turned 44; Sunday was Rebekah’s brother’s birthday, and then – of course – Father’s Day…

I am sure there were – there are – a lot more. Babies born, wedding anniversaries observed, retirements marked, health milestones noted, remembrances of loved-ones passed. Somewhere somebody marked a week, or a month, or a year sober.

Rebekah and I have always remembered every anniversary possible: First date (February 4), engagement (October 7), graduations (my first degree was May 18, 1980)… the list could go on.

Celebrate Today!

And then there is today, this unique and amazing morning. The incredible gift that is waking up with the light, slipping into some sandals and walking Max through the quiet streets of this lovely town while the coffee brews in the kitchen. Now that is something to celebrate.

Or yesterday, walking down Saint Patrick Street to worship our good God with good people as the sun streams through the stained glass windows and we sing with grateful hearts because we have so much to celebrate – faith, hope, love, freedom, family, friends, this community, beauty…

For the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies
Over and around us lies
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise…

Jesus pointed to the way creation itself celebrates every single day. “Look at the flowers, see how magnificent yet how unassuming…” and, “if my friends did not yell ‘Hosanna!’ the stones on the side of the road would shout out praise to God…”

Creation can’t help itself! I already mentioned this a week ago (Bloom Anyway) but apparently the lilies of our field decided to give it another go and this time they have gone bonkers!

The flowers have been “temporarily” stuck into pots (over two months ago), and pretty much left to fend for themselves while our landscaping project remains stalled.

So what do our flowers do? They bloom their hearts out because this is another day where the sun has come up and the new day beckons and the coffee is good and we are all invited to offer thanks and praise!

Monday morning… thanks and praise. Life is difficult sometimes… thanks and praise. This world is such a mess… thanks and praise. God is gracious and good… thanks and praise….

These holidays that we have on the calendar are fun to celebrate. These flowers remind me that we can celebrate every day!

– DEREK