The Gospel of Birds and Humans

“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 6.26
“And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”       Matthew 8.20

    We left our window air conditioners in the windows all Winter. Covered with batting and plastic, they were just fine and so were we. This past Spring when we removed the coverings from the windows, we discovered that the two a/c’s on the second floor – including the one in our bedroom – now had bird nests tucked into the corner of the window ledge and the a/c!  Closing the curtain, we left the nest as it was and continued with our lives.
     One beautiful, sunny Spring morning, I was awakened at 6:30am by the sound of birds. Not lovely, melodious songs, but irritating, scratchy peeps. Those peeps were incessant! I realized that the eggs had hatched, and momma had very hungry offspring. From that day onward, every time the sun came up, the peeping started. I could hear the flapping of momma’s wings as she rushed back and forth getting food for her littles. Eventually the peeps became more melodic, and then diminished as one by one the littles grew and began to fly. Peeps gave way to morning songs, perhaps in gratitude for the food they have received, or the food that they will be able to find. Perhaps they are calling out to others, seeking companionship for the morning breakfast or flying adventure. Perhaps they are even calling out with news of predator locations so that others will be safe.
   We didn’t always have such a wealth of birdsongs around our home and at our windows. Many years ago, our children gifted us with two beautiful trees that sit majestically in our front yard. One is a red maple tree and the other is a Japanese maple tree. Planted when not much more than twigs, they are now huge! I look forward to spring each year because they bloom and cover the entire front of our house. They provide shade, and privacy, to our front porch and second floor rooms. They keep much of the rains out of the second-floor windows, so that we can enjoy the sounds of rainfall. And, best of all, they have become a haven for birds! We have an amazing array and variety of birds now. Robins, blue jays, sparrows, ravens, crows, pigeons (of course!), and my favorite bird, cardinals!
    Because of those trees, the birds get bold and whoosh through our front porch. The cardinals especially like to perch on the back of a rocking chair and peer in the front window. The dog has finally learned to live with that occurrence.  There are days when I simply sit and marvel at the symbiosis of creation. Each part of creation has a need and a use for other parts. Each part of creation has something to offer the other parts. We, as humans, are privileged to enjoy the show in wonder. 
      This chapter in the Jesus stories is quite telling in that so many “preachers” and “teachers” don’t even mention it. Jesus assures the first listeners – and now the readers – that God cares deeply for all creation, not just some humans. We are asked to take notice that birds don’t seem to worry about their next meal. What they need is provided for them in Creation. By extrapolation, all that we need is provided as well. The Genesis story tells us that we are caretakers of all that God has brought into existence. Not dominators, but we are to be stewards and generators of peace and plenty; yet in our sinfulness we prefer to be in control and demand others to obey and be grateful for whatever we “give” them.
        Experts tell us that there is more than enough of everything that Creation needs to survive, and thrive, in the world today. Yet we operate from what Walter Brueggemann calls a “theology of scarcity”. We are a species of hoarders, never believing we have enough, living in fear that we will have less. Ask yourself this question, “How much money is necessary to live a decent life?” Now, answer this question, “why is it necessary to have billions of dollars and yet continue to live as though those billions are not enough?” You see, God has kept God’s part of the promise. There is more than enough for all of us. No one should go hungry, or homeless, or without the medical care necessary to live a good life. Yet that is exactly the scenario that too many of us live today and too many more of us are just one rough life experience from falling into as well. We have the means. It has been amply provided for us. What we do not have is the will to live the promise God has made to us.
       Our greed and our unwillingness to live as community are two behaviors that are literally killing humanity and creation every day. The so-called “prosperity gospel” is a lie. It is perpetrated by greedy people who rely on the innocence and ignorance of others. We are blessed so that we might share, not so that we might get more. 1 Timothy 6.10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Oddly, that passage is rarely, if ever, heard from the pulpits of pastors who live in $10 million dollar homes and fly in private $20 million dollar jets. I have learned through reading, listening, experiencing, and watching, that the most generous people are not those at the top of the finance pyramid. It’s those with little who are the most generous and willing to share with others. They know what it’s like to go without basic needs. Because they know what it is to be in need, they will give everything they have so that others don’t experience unmet need.
  Those who have more will say that they are being blessed by God. What they don’t accept is that blessings are meant to be shared, to be passed along to bless others. That action is God’s intent and design because that action creates community. It is only when anger, hatred, jealousy, and greed cease that we will finally see the Kingdom of God clearly among us. It has never been God’s desire that one of God’s children go hungry, or naked, or homeless, or die from preventable illnesses. The birds of the air have no worry, for God provides. Humans also receive God’s provision. Will we ever understand that we are to feed one another, care for one another, and love as God has loved us? The Greek word that is translated as “salvation”, actually means “healed, made whole, made well”. Our salvation lies in Jesus the Christ, who taught us that in the giving we receive, and our salvation requires all of us. No one is to be excluded in the Kingdom. “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last”, according to Jesus. How great the delight of the Author of the Universe would be, if all of us tried to be first, by being last?