Thought for Today
Genesis 1:20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."
Isaiah 40:31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Matthew 6:26 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?
Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
Birds! Why? Why did God create birds? Why are there so many different kinds of fauna? We have mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, etc. Why such variation? Did God create birds just so Americans would have a special-occasion meal on Thanksgiving? Or, maybe so that people in the South could enjoy fried chicken? Maybe, so that one of my uncles could go bird hunting for quail, ducks and geese?
The last time I read an article on the subject of the origin of birds, there was speculation that all of the almost 11,000 different species of birds evolved from the dinosaurs. Evidently there is evidence that some dinosaurs had feathers, and the joint articulation and bone formation of some dinosaurs closely resemble those of birds. Maybe the entire dinosaur age was part of “And God said, ‘Let there be . . . “
Some years ago, I read a series of novels by Eric Garcia based on the premise that dinosaurs did not become extinct. Rather, they found a way to disguise themselves as humans and live among us. The protagonist of the novels is a velociraptor private investigator. Maybe . . .
Recently, Greta and I were reminded of the song On Eagles Wings. Did God create all of those birds so that the prophet Isaiah could pen that verse above or Fr. Michael Joncas could write that beautiful, haunting hymn?
When I first began to share these Thoughts, during the pandemic, I wrote about how often Greta and I would sit on our patio during the isolation and social distancing time. We would take my iPod and a portable speaker outside, listen to one of the albums in our collection of hymns and watch the birds in the field behind our home. We still fondly reminisce about that time and how watching those birds saved our sanity when we could not be with our friends and family of faith during the pandemic.
There is something therapeutic and inspiring about watching those “birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky." Isaiah’s image of mounting up on wings like eagles is inspiring. Humankind has long been fascinated with the idea of flying like birds. The Greeks had the myth of Icarus. Icarus and Daedalus were imprisoned. They fashioned wings from molted bird feathers and other materials and escaped. Regrettably part of the construction involved beeswax. Icarus flew too close to the sun, the wax melted and he fell to earth and drowned in the sea.
Despite the warnings of the Icarus myth, humankind has long admired and envied birds and their ability to fly. In the novel Dune by Frank Herbert and the moves made from that novel, the craft used to fly on planets are called ornithopters. They are essentially flapping wing aircraft. Such craft have actually been attempted, “the first ornithopters were flown in France, in the 1870s.” (https://ornithopter.org/history)
Aside from the mentally therapeutic value of birds, why? Why did God include them in the panoply of Creation? That question will go on my list for the Q & A session during my Orientation to Heaven. Until then, I can read and try to understand the place birds fill in scripture. Both Matthew and Luke remind me that God’s Creation and even life itself is not always about utilitarianism or specific material value. God does not only feed those birds of the air, “Matthew 6:29 even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”
God loves God’s Creation and all of the creatures there within. God loves those beautiful, soaring birds. God loves all of us. Not for our utility value. Not for our contributions to God. God loves us because God created us. God loves us enough to have sent Jesus to us.
Stay safe, watch the birds soar, trust God,
Pastor Ray