First sung in a concert in 1985, “In the bulb there is a flower” has found its way into many hymnals and songbooks. When Natalie Sleeth’s husband died from cancer in 1990, he had requested that this hymn be sung at his funeral. A year and a half later, she died of a similar malignancy, and at her memorial service the congregation sang “In the bulb there is a flower.”
I’ve told this story before, but allow me to repeat it here. Virginia and I had two very dear friends, Eleanore and Irv. Eleanore was a Lutheran, and her husband Irv was Jewish, but he had a close relationship with Eleanore’s Lutheran pastor. I don’t remember the circumstances, but somewhere Irv heard “In the bulb there is a flower” and was fascinated by it. Perhaps the fact that he had been an avid gardener and outdoors person contributed. He asked if we knew this hymn, which we did, and if Virginia and I would sing it for him, which we did. Even though “In the bulb there is a flower” doesn’t use typical Christian resurrection language, I believe that in his later years Irv embraced the message of Christian hope found in this hymn. In August of 2005, a couple weeks before I began my music ministry at St. Paul’s, Virginia and I sang this hymn at Irv’s funeral.
In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
