20260927 ひがん花

草刈りを終えたばかりの教会の境内。

きれいになった地面には、まだ何もないように見えましたが…

鮮やかな赤い花が、すっと伸びた茎の先に咲いています。

彼岸花です。

彼岸花は、ヒガンバナ科ヒガンバナ属の多年草で、学名は Lycoris radiata。

秋の彼岸の頃に咲くことから、「彼岸花」と呼ばれ、日本では古くから各地で親しまれてきた花ですが、中国原産といわれています。

まず地面から花茎が伸びて花を咲かせ、花が終わったあとに葉を出します。葉は秋から冬にかけて茂り、春になる頃には枯れて、次の秋まで地上からは姿を消し、見えない土の中で時を過ごします。土の中に球根があることは、花が咲くまで気づきません。

だから、草刈りを終えた境内の「何もない」と思っていた場所から、突然一本の緑の茎がにょきっと出てきて、あっという間に鮮やかな赤い花が現れたのはまるでマジックのようでした。そのひときわ鮮やかな赤はその名の通り「お彼岸(季節の変わり)」を、誰よりも早く知らせてくれました。

鮮やかな赤い花を咲かせる一方で、球根には毒があり「怖い花」「縁起の悪い花」と言われることもある彼岸花ですが、

田んぼのあぜや土手、お墓の周りなどに植えられ、動物に土を荒らされるのを防ぐためなどに利用されたり、また食べ物が不足したときには、球根を水にさらして毒を取り除き、デンプンを利用した地域もありました。

「毒のある花」と聞くと、私たちはその一面だけを見てしまいますが、その花には、人の暮らしを支え、役立てられてきた、もう一つの姿もありました。

目に見えないところで時を重ね、ふさわしい時に花を咲かせる命の不思議を感じますね。

さて教会の中にも、目には見えにくいけれど、大切な働きがたくさんあることを思います。

礼拝や行事のように、みんなの目に触れる働きだけではありません。

教会の建物を大切に維持するための働き。

毎週行われている掃除や整理など、皆が気持ちよく教会に集えるように、準備をしてくださる働きや、なかなか教会へ来ることがかなわない方のところへ足を運び、顔を合わせ、声をかけ、祈りをともにする訪問など

人の目には見えないところで、誰かが祈り、誰かが手を動かし、誰かが誰かを思っている。

その一つひとつが重なって、教会という場所が守られ、また次の人へとつながっていく。

80周年を迎え、礼拝堂の空調設備の交換や、屋根の雨漏りがあったことは、私たちが改めて教会の建物や設備のメンテナンスに目を向けるきっかけとなりました。

専門的なことになると、私たちにはなかなか見当がつかないこともあります。

けれども、「分からないから任せてしまう」のではなく、まず知ることから始めてみようと、10月には教会のメンテナンスについての講演会が開催されることになりました。

教会を守ることは、建物だけを守ることではありませんが、

これまで多くの人が集い、祈り、語り合い、神様のみことばを聞いてきたこの場所を、これからの世代へとつないでいくことを皆で考えていきたい。

10月の講演会が、教会のこれからを考えるきっかけとなり、一人ひとりの祈りと行動がつながって、この教会を守り、次の世代へと受け継いでいく力となりますように。

The church grounds had just been mowed.

The ground looked clean and empty, and there seemed to be nothing there yet…

But then, a vivid red flower appeared at the end of a slender stem.

It was the red spider lily.

The red spider lily is a perennial plant in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, and its scientific name is Lycoris radiata.

It blooms around the time of the autumn equinox, which is why it is called “Higanbana,” or the “flower of the equinox,” in Japanese. It has long been familiar to people throughout Japan and is thought to be native to China.

Unlike many plants, the red spider lily sends up its flower stalk first, before its leaves appear. After the flowers fade, its leaves emerge and remain through autumn and winter. By spring, the leaves wither, and the plant disappears from view until the following autumn.

It spends much of its time hidden underground.

We cannot even tell that there is a bulb beneath the soil until the flowers appear.

That is why, when a single green stem suddenly emerged from the freshly mowed ground and quickly opened into a brilliant red flower, it felt almost like magic.

Its striking red color seemed to announce, perhaps before anything else, that autumn was arriving and that the season of [Ohigan—the autumn equinox—]was near.

The red spider lily is sometimes called a “frightening” or “unlucky” flower because its bulbs contain toxic compounds.

Yet, despite this, it has also played useful roles in people's lives.

Red spider lilies have traditionally been planted along rice field embankments, slopes, and around graves. Their presence was thought to help protect the soil from being disturbed by animals.

In times when food was scarce, there were also regions where people processed the bulbs by repeatedly soaking them in water to remove the toxic compounds and used the resulting starch.

When we hear that a flower is “poisonous,” it is easy to see only that one side of it.

But this flower has another story as well—a story of having been used and valued in ways that supported people's lives.

Looking at it, we are reminded of the mystery of life: something can spend a long time unseen, quietly growing and waiting, and then bloom when the time is right.

It also makes me think of the many important things that happen within our church that are not always visible.

Not all of the work of the church is something everyone sees, like worship services and special events.

There are people who care for and maintain the church building.

There are those who clean and organize the church every week so that everyone can gather in a welcoming and comfortable place.

There are also people who visit those who are unable to come to church, spending time with them, talking with them, and praying together.

These may not always be visible to everyone.

But behind the scenes, someone is praying, someone is working with their hands, and someone is thinking of another person.

Each of these small acts comes together to support the church and to help carry it forward to the next generation.

As we celebrate our church's 80th anniversary, the replacement of the air-conditioning equipment in the sanctuary and the recent roof leaks have given us an opportunity to take a closer look at the maintenance and care of our church building.

When it comes to technical matters, many of us may not know where to begin or fully understand what needs to be done.

But rather than simply leaving everything to someone else because we do not know enough, we want to begin by learning.

For this reason, a special lecture on church maintenance will be held in October.

Caring for the church is about more than simply maintaining a building.

This is a place where, for many years, people have gathered, prayed, shared their lives, and listened to God's Word.

As we look toward the future, we hope to consider together how we can care for this place and pass it on to the generations to come.

May the October lecture be an opportunity for us to think about the future of our church, and may the prayers and actions of each one of us come together to protect this church and help carry it forward into the next generation.