“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Matthew 6:25-26 NRSVue
On Sunday morning Trenton United Church will acknowledge Earth Sunday, the Sunday closest to Earth Day on April 22nd. I spoke about trees on the first Sunday of this Earth Month and now we will participate in an intergenerational morning of worship and exploration of Creation related themes. Ruth and I have been asked to decorate our worship space with flowers and foliage while congregation members have been invited to bring in a favourite plant to contribute to the visual display.
We have also been asked to do a brief information session on birds following the service while our young people are involved in theme-related crafts. We'll keep it low-key, in part because we wouldn't call ourselves "birders", those who are dedicated to bird identification and have an impressive base of knowledge.
We do have multiple feeders outside our windows that are a constant source of pleasure for us and visitors. We figure we've seen about twenty species of birds in our backyard, maybe more. Now that we have the wonderful, free Merlin birdsong identification app we realize that there are species around us that are heard even when they're not seen. Both the Sibley Birds and Audubon apps are excellent and we still have our "old school" bird guides.
On Sunday we'll make sure to point out that birds are everywhere in the bible, including as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes reference to birds as well, which makes sense given that he spent a lot of time rambling around outside. I've mentioned that the Rift Valley from Africa to Europe is a migratory route for half a billion birds and Israel is along that path.
Our rambling is what got us going in our bird interest. We'd be paddling and hiking and grew curious about what we were seeing and hearing. While we've never joined a group of birders on a junket (or is that junco?) we are aware of the birds around us and have experienced some delightful moments. The bald eagle that flew out of a tree beside us as we paddled last week is an example of an avian thrill, but the flocks of goldfinches at our feeders these days are enchanting as well.
There has never been a better time for birding resources than today. That said, the decline of bird species and numbers is deeply disturbing. It's estimated that in North America there are nearly 3 billion fewer birds today than in 1970. Paying attention and giving thanks to the Creator for birds is an important aspect of our Christian discipleship. I have to wonder if Jesus were speaking today he would give birds more of a shout-out.
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