Blessings and Birds

Even the sparrow finds a home,

    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
4 Happy [blessed}]are those who live in your house,
    ever singing your praise.

                                  Psalm 84: 3-4

 Early this morning I was reading Amy-Jill Levine's wise book called Sermon on the Mount. Levine is Jewish and offers that perspective on Jesus and his milieu as a New Testament professor at Vanderbilt University. I'm leading a study for Trenton United Church during Lent and as I prepare I'm feeling blessed. I was reading about the Beatitudes or blessings in Matthew 5, the verses which are the opening passage in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) 

I paused for a moment to ask myself how I feel blessed, enriched, even happy in what have often seemed like meagre, cursed times during this past pandemic year. I looked up to see the pair of cardinals on one of our feeders (8 feeders are visible from our family room windows) and I had my answer, or at least one of many examples of blessings. 

Northern Cardinal -- David Sibley

Even in the heart of Winter we have a dozen or so species of birds which show up, snow or shine, somehow persevering through all manner of weather. They simply receive what we serve up, everything from peanuts to sunflower seeds to suet. We love the cardinals and blue jays and a red-bellied woodpecker for their star quality. We could live without the "biker gang" starlings. We admire the plucky chickadees and nuthatches and downy woodpeckers. 

Later in the Sermon ,which isn't really a sermon, Jesus invites us to consider the example of the birds of the air when we are inclined to worry and fret. At the conclusion of the passage Jesus says “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today."  Huh. It's almost as though he had an understanding of the human heart. 

The study group will be both Zoom and in-person, if allowed, or just Zoom, depending on what Premier Doug permits. Our first session will be February 24th at 9:30 AM. Our last study included three people from different locales in the province because of the blessing (mixed) of Zoom, so you're welcome to join us wherever you may be. Check out the Trenton United Church website. 

St. Francis and the Birds -- Taize Christian Community, France