The flower festival

Categories: church

Tags: sermons, reflection, Church

Date: 29 July 2009 13:48:02

My task for the day is to get the bulk of my sermon for Sunday written. Having been for a brisk walk down to the cliff tops earlier, I now have various ideas milling around. The ideas seem to be resolving themselves into a theological reflection on flower festivals in the light of Sunday's lectionary readings. I should probably tread quite carefully, since the dangers of annoying the flower arrangers in the first month of curacy are probably more than one might think.

My main question is: what are flower festivals for?

Celebration of creation?
Using gifts of the congregation?
Fundraiser?

I have various other answers to the question (some more cynical than others), but was wondering if you have any yourselves. Is the flower festival an international thing, or is it essentially a British institution? What do they involve? Do you like them? Have you discerned any theology behind them?