Ditch Lilies and Butterfly Weed

Who are we? Some of the descriptions that we give ourselves aren't very complimentary. God, on the other hand, has a very different idea about who we are. This sermon will explain what I mean.

Names are important. If you don’t believe that, ask any new parents how carefully they chose the name for their infant. I’m willing to bet that they didn’t just open the phone book and choose the first name that caught their eyes! No, they probably spent hours and hours deciding on just the right name for the new arrival. Should they name him after his father – or maybe a favorite uncle? Should they give her a biblical name, the name of the teacher who was so influential in Mom’s life, or maybe a completely new, distinctive name? A name needs to be just right, because it will be your identity for the rest of your life.

Two of my favorite flowers have Latin names. One is Hemerocallis, which are better known as Daylilies; and the other is Asclepias, a variety of milkweed. They are both absolutely beautiful; but people have given them names that aren’t so pretty. Daylilies are sometimes called “ditch lilies” because they tend to spring up in low-lying wet areas in the early summer. The Asclepias is usually called “butterfly weed” because, despite the fact that it nurtures hummingbirds and butterflies, most people think of milkweed as a weed, not as a flower. Ditch lilies and butterfly weed. Their names make these beautiful flowers sound… well, undesirable.

We give each other names, too; and we struggle under their burdens. If you don’t believe me, just ask any fourth-grader who is called “Fatty” by his classmates. Our names not only identify us, they label us – and sometimes they hurt. Think, for just a moment, about the labels that we give each other. Some of them are relatively harmless: Slowpoke. Egghead. Ditzy. Jock. Those labels may be irritating, but they don’t hurt too much. Other labels, though, wound us deeply every time that we hear them. We all know what they are. Ugly. Lazy. Stupid. Incompetent. Loser. Failure. No one wants to be called by any of these labels! And the worst thing about them is that they aren’t true – not a one of them! They don’t define us any more than “ditch” defines the beautiful lilies that thrive almost anywhere, or “weed” defines the flower that nurtures monarch butterflies!

These are the names that really define us: Beloved. Forgiven. Reconciled. Renewed. Beautiful. Worthy. We aren’t weeds, fit only to live in a ditch! We are God’s children; and we are beautiful! Like daylilies, God wants us to bloom wherever we may be, whether that is in a garden or by the side of the road. And like butterfly weed, God wants us to be a source of nurture to all the people that we meet, just as butterfly weed nourishes hummingbirds and Monarch butterflies. So, this morning, remember your baptism. And as you do, rejoice that you were loved and accepted by God before you even knew who God was! You are sealed by God’s love and filled by God’s Spirit. When you come to the Lord’s Table, rejoice that you are still loved and accepted by God! Remember that God loves you so much that Jesus Christ died for you! And don’t ever forget the names that God has given you: Beloved. Forgiven. Reconciled. Renewed. Beautiful. Worthy. Child of God. These names, friends, are who we really are!