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Sunflowers | SKMB

Sunflowers

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!”

Luke 12:27-28 NIV2

I love yellow flowers; all kinds of them: marigolds, lilies, black-eyed Susans, tulips, daffodils, daisies, and buttercups. These beautiful creations of God bring a smile to my face and lift my spirit. Sunflowers are my favourite yellow flowers. In my office, I have a large picture of a field filled with sunflowers. I also have two hand-beaded works of art depicting sunflowers. I told my wife that when the Lord calls me home, I want my celebration of life to include a display of yellow flowers, specifically sunflowers. I mentioned to her that I’m considering having attendees wear something yellow to the celebration. I will likely have to give that some more thought. A colleague of mine recently asked me why I loved sunflowers so much, and so I felt it was a good exercise for me to explore that question. Feel free to come along for the ride.

I love sunflowers because of their colour, specifically, their yellow colour. The colour of things is important to us humans; it literally affects our mood. I discovered that the colour yellow stimulates the release of a natural chemical neurotransmitter our body produces called serotonin, which positively improves our mood. Perhaps that’s why, in Western cultures, the colour yellow symbolizes beauty, happiness, joy, vitality, optimism, and new beginnings. Having people wear something yellow at my funeral is sounding better all the time, especially considering the claim that yellow flowers symbolize new beginnings.

I also love sunflowers because of their rich cultural history and their use in everyday life. Added to that is the historical use of the colour yellow in the arts. For example, yellow sports cars in the summer, the yellow smiley face logo, and yellow sunshine graphics on a multitude of products all convey that, as a culture, we love the colour yellow. In the arts, who doesn’t think of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers? In Matt Wilson’s 2025 article, The cryptic symbolism of Van Gogh’s sunflowers – and what they really mean, he concluded that Van Gogh’s painting was about motivating people to stretch beyond the day-to-day affairs of life toward the light and love of the heavens. Some early Catholic artists linked the sunflower to faithfulness, and during the Renaissance, sunflowers gained widespread recognition as symbols of gratitude. For me, Wilson’s interpretation of sunflowers being an encouragement to look beyond ourselves to heaven is deeply meaningful.

Finally, I love sunflowers because of how God created and purposed them. In the early days of a sunflower’s life, it begins the day facing east, waiting for the rising sun. As the sun glides across the sky, the sunflower will follow it until it sets in the west. This phenomenon, known as heliotropism, truly helps maximize the sunflower’s intake of sunlight for optimal health and growth. In the mature days of a sunflower’s life, it only faces east. Here is a practical discipleship lesson. Like the sunflower, let’s start the day by maximizing intake of the Son (Jesus) through prayer, reading God’s Word and looking for where he is moving. A second discipleship lesson is to pay greater attention to facing the ‘east.’  Why?  For many Christian faith traditions, Jesus’ second coming is expected to be from the east. They point to scripture for this claim: “For as lightening that comes from the east and is visible in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27 NIV2). Overall, looking to the Son and for the Son is counseled in the Bible (Hebrews 12:2): “Fix your eyes on Jesus.”

No doubt about it, sunflowers (all yellow flowers, really) inspire me to see the glass half full, to look on the bright side, to be thankful for what I have been blessed with and live into new beginnings. I am now convinced: people need to wear something yellow to my celebration of life.

"Keep your face to the sunshine

and you cannot see the shadows.

It's what the sunflowers do."

Helen Keller

written by Rev. Philip A. Gunther

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I love yellow flowers; all kinds of them: marigolds, lilies, black-eyed Susans, tulips, daffodils, daisies, and buttercups. These beautiful creations of God bring a smile to my face and lift my spirit. Sunflowers are my favourite yellow flowers. In my office, I have a large picture of a field filled with sunflowers. I also have two hand-beaded works of art depicting sunflowers.

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