As I may have mentioned in the main story, I will add various posts from time to time relating to my grandfather’s passing and Luke 1:37. One of my primary reasons for doing so is to help others who may be seeking answers. Additionally, after I have gone to be with Jesus, I want to ensure this story lives on for many years to come with the potential of continuing to help someone after I am gone.

My grandfather was a natural “green thumb” and seemingly could grow just about anything. I remember he had one very large apple tree in his front yard and another smaller apple tree. I remember the smaller apple tree being my favorite as they were tart green apples. They were extraordinarily hard and you couldn’t easily bite into them – you had to slice them. For me as a kid, slice up some apples and sometimes throw a little salt on them, yum! This was just a random thought and this event has nothing to do with apples.

You may be familiar with the poinsettia plants – the plants that are generally sold around Thanksgiving and Christmas with the pointed leaves and red flowers. It’s an indoor houseplant that typically lives a few months on average, but if your lucky, you could have one that will live a year or even two. In the right climates, you could get much longer out of them and they can grow very large – but we lived in Ohio, not the best climate for a plant that is indigenous to Central America. Well, at the time of my grandfather’s passing, he had one that was at least 15 years old, maybe even closer to 20 years. We attributed this plants age to my grandfather’s dedication and ability to grow almost anything. What we didn’t know at the time was the significance of this particular plant.

Over the years, his poinsettia plant had become more like a small indoor tree. It was in a very large pot and spread out 3-4 feet wide and equally as tall. The base of the plant looked more like tree bark rather than the normal green stems. It was basically a large tree like plant with green leaves. My grandfather lived in a mobile home and it was in a small room and took up a great deal of space. Needless to say, it was amazingly large and live well beyond its normal life cycle.

Unfortunately, it had been about 7 – 8 years since the last time the plant had bloomed. An extraordinary event happened with the plant the month before my grandfather’s passing. In October 1990, that poinsettia plant bloomed for the first time in several years. During the time of my grandfather’s quick decline in health due to the aggressive cancer, the plant also began to die. The few days leading up to his death, the plant became worse in health, the blooms and leaves fell off and shriveled up. We tried to keep the plant alive without success. On November 26, 1990 when my grandfather passed, I recall walking into the room of the plant and it was very much gone. We believe there was a special connection to the plant and my grandfather, when he passed, it had also passed but managed to provide him with one final bloom.

So, is there any biblical connection relating to poinsettia plants? Perhaps not a direct biblical connection but certainly a religious connection that is said to start in Mexico in the 17th century. Here is the story of the poinsettia I found on a website.

“Legend has it that Pepita, a poor Mexican girl, had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services in her village. As she slowly walked to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness. Pedro said to her, “I am sure that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes,”

Unsure what to do, Pepita knelt by the side of the road, picked a handful of common weeds, and made them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.

As she approached the altar, she remembered Pedro’s words: “Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes.” She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes.

From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season. Thus, the legend of the poinsettia was born.”

Symbolically, the poinsettia plant represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and promise of eternal life in heaven. The green leaves represent the promise of eternal life. The star shaped leaf pattern of the plant also represent the Star of Bethlehem seen at the time of the birth of Jesus. The red flowers represent the blood of Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

I believe this was just another one of those messages from God that played out during the time of my grandfather’s passing. God works in ways that we are incapable of understanding, but I believe in due time, it will all be revealed to us. In the meantime, I believe those messages are out there to help strengthen our faith in this fallen world.