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Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! (Psalm 150)
As I walked into the sanctuary for worship on Easter morning, I was greeted by the beauty of Easter lilies. For some reason, this year I was even more enthralled with their meaning and symbolism in our Christian tradition of rebirth, purity, new beginnings, and hope.
As four of the potted Easter lilies made their way into our home, I had an opportunity to look at them up close, take a good sniff of the lovely fragrance and touch their soft petals. While this may seem a little overboard, this experience brought me a deep connection to the past – remembering Easter’s past and embracing this very moment. I felt surrounded by wonderful memories of births, baptisms, communion, singing of Christ’s resurrection, Easter dresses/hats, sunrise services, Easter morning church breakfast, and so much more.
As I examined the lily, I thought about how much I need to take a closer look, smell the fragrance, to touch – and experience worship with my whole self. The lily was an invitation for me to come closer to the Lord, to get close enough that my soul can smell and touch the resurrected Jesus. May we each accept the invitation. Amen