Margaret rises early
on a Sunday spring morning
to cut fresh flowers
in the first light
With worn hands
that worked the soil
and planted the bulbs
she arranges them in a vase
Not haphazardly
or without a thought
but with intention
she places each one
As she does
behind her breath
she honors
each one’s beauty
But it is not for her
and her alone
she arranges them
just so
For to church they’ll go
like a beloved companion
to sit in their own place
in the sanctuary
Folks arrive
and observe
the spring flowers
placed upon the Lord’s table
A witness themselves
to the Creator’s goodness
and a proclaimer
of the good news itself
For what more
can the preacher say
than the flowers
on the altar
Of the beauty and the love
which is bound to blossom
from the God in whom
all things are possible.
Note: Margaret Craighead was a faithful and beloved member of my wife Terry’s first congregation, the Old Auxvasse Nine Mile Presbyterian Church, located in Callaway County, Missouri.
Holy Encounter 