The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Seemingly overnight our irises are back in full force after being shredded a year ago by storms. It’s a reminder of the resilience of nature and God’s divine touch on creation. It’s not only surprising that they recovered, but that everything we planted came back. Bearded or beardless, dwarf or full blown, all are hardy inhabitants of gardens that are eagerly blooming.

We’ve tried to keep up with all the names of the current plantings but after a while, an absence of plant marker stakes doomed the process. Now, often as not, we name iris after the person or persons who gave us the plant. Somehow it is easier to remember names when they are attached to someone we care for or about. This loose association works well and brings a smile every time an iris helps us to recall someone good.

We need reminders in life to be gentle and filled with care for one another. Irises fit that mold remarkably well: a large selection and with diverse varieties, easy care, and an elegance that belies their common status. We could use more flowers that contribute such a large share of beauty to the growing season.

We could also use more people that live in similar inspiring ways. The art of carping is in resurgent mode as people are emboldened to speak their mind, defend their position, and stake their claim. It’s a style that doesn’t appear to differentiate between politics or religion. I imagine that Jesus would have walked away from populism, nationalism, and the inherent selfishness that is so pervasive in our mobile electronic culture. Its destructiveness is unparalleled, the boundaries between truth and untruth vague and uncertain. It doesn’t exactly contribute to a very sound theology.

Who has the nerve to stand in the breech and call out the church for its political indiscretions? Just because “Christian” is used to validate a certain standing among evangelicals, doesn’t mean that all religious groups are evangelical or fundamentalist or even guilty by association. A large number of mainline Protestants are unwilling to hitch their wagons to conservative movements that fly in the face of the ministries of Jesus.

Walking the garden and observing the iris is a discipline worth undertaking until iris season is done. Every day is an opportunity to live up to the beauty on display and to more fully appreciate that to which we have been entrusted. It is more than mere obligation for us to be responsible for so much. No matter the degree of beauty represented, it remains part of a larger, more comprehensive design that we cannot ignore. “I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Is. 43:1, NRSV) Naming and acknowledging others establishes relationship. Without relationship – human or divine – we cannot thrive. The Divine calls us to mutual association so that we more clearly understand God’s intent for us.

Name those things which are of value in your life. Speak them aloud in the presence of others. Don’t hesitate to express thankfulness for the smallest of things, for each brings their own intrinsic value, though we don’t always see it at the time. And if we are fortunate enough someday, there will be an iris named on our behalf, the start of something wonderful.