People often purchase poinsettias for Christmas. The red blooms, along with deep green leaves, seem perfect for the season. When it comes to Easter, people are more inclined to pots of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils or lilies.

            But my Christmas poinsettia is blooming better now than it did at Christmas time. Because of its perseverance and longevity, I am reluctant to relegate it to the ‘wrong season’ category. I feel it deserves to be honored for its faithfulness.

            That is not to say that I won’t also buy some Easter plants. I especially like purple hyacinths both because of their fragrance and that they can later be transplanted into my outdoor flower bed.

            Sure, the red-green of the poinsettia may clash with the purple of the hyacinth, but I will overlook that. Both are beautiful and both are treasured by people like me who want to bring live plants inside.

            Theologically-speaking, it may also make sense to have both plants. We Christians celebrate both Jesus’ birth and his death and resurrection. But we don’t want to slice one wondrous mystery from the other. Both the incarnation and the redemption are part of who we are as disciples of the Lord. From his birth to his preaching of the Kingdom to his death on the cross to his resurrection and ascension – all of these together help us realize the power of God’s love for us.

The same God created both the poinsettia and the hyacinth. Rejoice in both.

“So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away;

behold, new things have come” 

 2 Corinthians 5:17