Hesperocallis Undulata

Now I'm not much acquainted with flowers. But I know enough to expect an abundance of the Easter lily variety on such a weekend as this.

Sure enough. As we gathered to celebrate the Resurrection at 11:00am this Easter morning, many a lily were present to lead in procession. Though the lily is a guest of honor, it is hardly alone in its privilege. The aura cast by pastels pink, yellow, and blue are worn, if only once a year, by necessity on this day of the year. Polo shirts and khaki pants have transformed into suits and ties. Knit tops and simple skirts exchanged for frilly dresses with bows. Attendance extends to its yearly high as vaguely familiar faces take their seat to fulfil their yearly vows. The row of toddlers tumbles across the platform to cheer the congregation with learned phrases like "I'm just a little angel, but I'm here to say: 'Happy Easter day!'" A photographer is stationed to encapsulate the memories. Smiles abound. Check your troubles at the door.

Now don't misunderstand me. I'm right there with them. I joined my daughters and my wife in the pastel. I noosed my own neck with a properly occasioned tie. My toddler joined her friends on stage and said, "He is no longer in the tomb." I enjoyed the Easter lilies. And maybe I even smiled a little more than normal.

But I also noticed, I think more than anything else this morning, just how much some of these things seem an attempt to mask the reality of our lives. We put on our Sunday Best and do up our hair. We go out and buy dresses just for today. We take photographs. We expect compliments. We frown on those who don't follow in our self-polishing with a questionable glance. We force smiles and handshakes. Many who come, come because that's what a person does on Easter, while caring nothing for the Savior it celebrates.

I'm not saying it's all bad. I love my church, and the celebration was really great. I do actually think that having our young children reciting lines on the platform is a way to make us all feel a little more like family and give even the youngest of our congregants a role in which to bless others. The Easter lily really is a great picture of beauty and life found in Jesus' resurrection and triumph over death. It's not all pretending and air-brushing. There really is beauty and life in much of what we do.

But let me suggest the desert lily.

I was reading about the desert lily this evening. Hesperocallis undulata. Like I said above, I'm really not a flower buff. I just happened upon this on accident. I'm not sure where Easter lilies grow, but I would bet that it is a place of holy perfection. The desert lily, on the other hand, grows, you guessed it, in the desert. Arid. Dry. Sweltering. The Desert. Yet like its cousin, the desert lily is quite beautiful. I read that Native Americans used to eat the lily's bulb as a source of food. And that the bulb will often sit underground for years, waiting for enough moisture to awaken its presence above.

I find hope in the desert lily. This world--the reality most of us live in--is a dry and rugged landscape. If you're not careful, you'll get caught in a sandstorm or something and never be found again. You'll die of thirst or get lost and never find your way back. Just when you think you've found a water hole, you next discover the mirage. Call me a pessimist, but this is the reality of this ugly hate-filled world. Yet--call me an optimist--I do believe there is beauty in the desert. I do believe in things relegated to fairytales and myths. I do believe in desert lilies. And myself like the desert lily, I often feel as a bulb simply waiting until I have collected enough moisture to break the surface and find beauty in this desert life.

This is where I wonder if the desert lily is really the Easter lily. And if the beautiful blossoms leading the procession in churches across the nation this morning likewise came from the desert. Maybe this gives hope to those who don't feel quite at home in the Easter morning crowd. Those who don't feel self in ties and pastels. For those for whom the smile is not so natural. There is life in the desert. There is life to be found in this world. There is life, and it is beautiful. And I am convinced that this desert lily is found in the life, the resurrected life, of the Messiah Jesus.



Welcome to my blog. This is my first posting. Please forgive me, as I'm not really sure what I'm doing here. I've been told that I need to do this, so I guess that's why I am. But I do think that it may be enjoyable as well. You may find that I am quite a pessimist. But the optimist comes out in the redemptive hope I have. Though this existence is filled with ugliness and pain, I do believe their is opportunity for great beauty. I think that this may be one distinctive of my ramblings. Hope and beauty and breath. But not just breaths of air. This does not satisfy nearly enough. I have known plenty of people who have breathed much air while plotting their own deaths. No, air is not enough. Join me in this journey for life and breath. I think it may be an enjoyable one.