Last weekend I went walking down by the river. The sun was warm, the ground was damp and I began to raise my voice in praise of the one who created not only the flowers, the river, the trees, but also the physical laws that hold the architecture of the bridge in place, the communication and technology represented by the phone wires overhead, and the concept of fun and competition represented by the golf course just ahead where I could hear players laughing and jesting.
Suddenly it was if every flower began to speak to me of a spiritual truth. As my mind rehearsed names and botanical traits, each one seemed to call out, "Yes, and I was put here to remind you of ...... " Here are what some of them said.
This is bright eyed beauty is the somewhat rare Trillium parviflorum, the "small-flower wakerobin". A member of the order of the lillies, it sprouts, dawdling, from a compact rhizome and may take up to 5 years to flower. Every plant consists of one white flower consisting of 3 petals, a set of 3 linear light-green sepals, and 3 large mottled and deeply veined leaf-lilke bracts. All are "sessile" or completly stuck together (in this species).
Unsurprisingly, the Trillium sang to me of the Trinity of the God-head: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The flower is one flower yet consists of three separate petals. The sepals (collectively called the calyx) are three and yet bound together as one. The leaves likewise seem to make up a unified whole of 3 distinct parts. More than this, the entire plant seems to be unifiedly joined into one piece but consisting wholly of flower, calyx, and foliage.
Patrick, 5th centurty bishop of Ireland, declared this essential doctrine concerning the identity of God to a pagan world ravaged by polytheism,* and the "Breastplate prayer" attributed to (or at least inspired by)him begins with the invocation: "I rise today with a mighty power, calling on the Trinity, with a belief in the threeness, with a faith in the oneness, of the creator of creation."
The three threes of the trillium reminded me that the Trinity must like trinities, for when the creator of creation made mankind in his image he designed us body, soul, and spirit and then placed that trinity within a trinity universe consisting of space, time, and matter. He continually identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and on earth found comfort among his three favored friends, Peter, James, and John. Faith, Hope, and Love make up the undying foundation of Christian living.
Depending on the species, trilliums come in shades of pink, lavender, crimson, and more, some even changing color throughout the growing season. The pure white of this trillium reminded me of God's holiness and that he has called me to be holy as he is holy (I Pet 1:15-16). The purple, bruised-looking mottling on the leaves made me think of how Jesus was bruised for our iniquity and in the crushing of his body took the wrath of God intended for us. (Is 53:5)
Once a trillium seed is planted it can mosey around for a year or two before deciding to poke any evidence of its existence above ground, and once sprouted waits another 4 years or so before blooming. If it is picked, the slow process must start all over. This is a maddening attribute if you're trying to grow them in your garden, but it reminds me that God is patient and his timing is perfect. 2 Peter 3 tells us that God "is not slow about his promise," though we may consider his timing as slowness. Rather, he "is patient, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
Personally, I do not believe there is any created thing that is not a manifestation, example, or parable of a spiritual truth. It is our discipline and delight to discover how they speak. Thank you, little flower, for telling me what you know about our very big God.
*"There is no other God-- there never was and there never will be. God our father was not born nor did he have any beginning. God himself is the beginning of all things, the very one who holds all things together, as we have been taught.
And we proclaim that Jesus Christ is his son, who has been with God in spirit always, from the beginning of time and before the creation of the world -- though in a way we cannot put into words. Through him everything in the universe was created, both what we can see and what is invisible. He was born as a human being and he conquered death, rising into the heavens to be with God. And God gave to him power greater than any creature of the heavens or earth or under the earth, so that someday everyone will declare that Jesus Christ is Lord and God. We believe in him and we wait for him to return very soon. He will be the judge of the living and the dead, rewarding every person according to their actions.
And God has generously poured out on us his Holy Spirit as a gift and a token of immortality. This Spirit makes all faithful believers into children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.
This we proclaim. We worship one God in three parts, by the sacred name of the Trinity."
From the Confession of St. Patrick, as translated by Phillip Freeman.
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