Peonies

Now that it's early summer, I look out for peonies. These lush and extravagant blooms first entranced me when I saw them at the home of a Japanese journalist in Washington.

Peonies are a symbol of China. I imagine that they're popular in Japan too. In the United States, the Cricket Hill Garden in Connecticut is "madly devoted" to peonies. I like their peony picture collection, where I viewed an "Ancient Pink" peony (above).

And the name Ancient Pink suggests one more reason why I love peonies: They evoke the ancient, and most of us have a sense or a nostalgia for the ancient -- the virtuous side of it anyway.

My pastor has talked about Robert Webber's ancient-future faith which values a deeper kinship with the early church. Recently he also highlighted Isaiah 61:4 and its idea of rebuilding ancient ruins -- which is one reason why our morning service rents a room in a lovely old Bethesda church, whose tiny congregation has a desire to grow vibrantly.