Last night we had our annual Christmas Eve service. Before the service began a fellow church member walked up to me and said that it was good to see the poinsettias. It struck me a little strange until he said that he didn’t mean the flowers or all the people dressed in red, he was referring to those who only come out at Christmas. I chuckled a bit at the clever analogy but I later reflected on what he said. I wondered about my own fervor for God and for his kingdom. Do I declare God’s praise and display his love, grace and mercy to everyone I meet or, like a poinsettia, do I only do those things occasionally, when it is expedient for me to do so or when I feel someone is deserving? Do I put on a showy display during the holidays for all to see and then go into hibernation for the remainder of the year?
This morning my assigned scripture reinforces these thoughts. Psalm 145 describes the greatness of God and his wonderful works in this way, (italics mine), “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. … The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. … The Lord watches over all who love him….” God is not a poinsettia. He is an evergreen. He is liberal and indiscriminant with his love for all who want it and even with those who don’t.
God is in the process of molding me into the image of Christ so that I too will be an evergreen witness of his grace, love and mercy rather than merely a seasonal, poinsettia bloomer. I pray that David’s prayer at the beginning of Psalm 145 will be mine, (italics included). “I will exalt you, my God and my King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.”
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