God of the sparrow God of the whale
God of the swirling stars
How does the creature say Awe
How does the creature say Praise
God of the Sparrow Jaroslav J. Vajda
Even the stork in the heavens
knows its times;
and the turtledove, swallow, and crane
observe the time of their coming;
but my people do not know
the ordinance of the Lord.
Jeremiah 8:7
We were in Killarney Provincial Park recently, Ontario's southernmost wilderness park and a beautiful gem of pink granite, quartzite, and pine trees. Killarney has it all with the LaCloche mountains, a system of lakes, and access to Georgian Bay. We were fortunate that we arrived a couple of days after a late Spring snowfall, as well as the ice having just gone out on George Lake, a central access point. We hiked and paddled and delighted in the return of birds. We saw several loons while canoeing and first heard, then saw sandhill cranes which were making their way farther north to their nesting grounds. These sightings, both on a Sunday, were a gift and a spiritual experience. They occurred just a few days before Migratory Bird Day.
Migratory Storks in Israel
Bird migration is one of Creation's miracles, with avian travelers as tiny as as hummingbirds making journeys of thousands of kilometres using internal homing systems which humans still don't comprehend, despite concerted scientific efforts. I realize that speaking about a Creator and suggesting that this is a kind of miracle may seem anti-scientific but I enjoy hearing about the science of migration even as I revel in the complexity of God's wondrous world.
There are a fair number of hymns, old and new which mention birds but I can't think of any which mention the wonder of migration. The bible speaks of birds often, but not much about migration either. As the prophet Jeremiah admonishes the people of Israel for being clueless he points out that birds know their routes and patterns, referring to several migratory species. I have seen the storks in migration in Israel from atop Mount Carmel and it is awe-inspiring, as the hymn suggests. Jesus also invites us to consider the birds of the air in the Sermon on the Mount.
Excellent documentary films such as Winged Migration and The Messenger remind us of both the wonder of bird journeys and the growing threat to these essential rhythms, thanks to humans.
We can all "have a clue" this Spring, paying attention to the arrival of migratory birds. And with this spiritual discipline we can do what we can as people of the Creator to ensure their well-being.
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