July Thoughts 

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.   
 
Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ … indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  
 
But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:28,29. Luke 12:27 
 
I’ve just looked back through my records and, as far as I can see, my turn for writing the clergy column has never before been for the July magazine. July is, perhaps, my favourite month of the year. That’s partly because my birthday falls in the middle if the month and partly because July means summer to me, with strawberries and cream, summer pudding, light evenings listening to birdsong, beautiful early mornings, the sun shining like a benediction through the stained glass windows at St. Mark’s, and the wonderful riot of colour in the abundance of flowers that are blooming in July. 

The beauty of the July flowers always reminds me of the above passage from St. Matthew’s gospel, from the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t know at what time of year Jesus spoke of the beauty of the wild flowers that God has made more glorious than King Solomon’s rich clothing, and scholars debate about which flowers he was talking about. Poppies or purple anemones are considered probable possibilities but there are a number of other contenders.  It does not really matter; Jesus may well have been referring to wild flowers generally. The point Jesus is making is that God is to be trusted to supply all that is needed, indeed has supplied his world with all that humankind could ever need.    
 
The sheer number of different species of flowers, both wild and those which humankind have developed from the seeds of those given by God, are indicative of the overwhelming generosity of God towards us. Each and every species has individual characteristics, although close examination reveals some repeating general structures and patterns. Tim wrote last month of the fascinating detail shown by the zoom of his camera, but even examination with the naked eye tells of the amazing mathematics involved in creation.  
 
Our Creator reveals the perfection of his creation in the intricacy of the natural world in which we live and we can wonder and ponder on God’s greatness as we gaze upon it, to see, as William Blake wrote,  
 

… a World in a Grain of Sand  

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower  

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand  

And Eternity in an hour. 

 
Love, Prayers and Blessings,       

Joy