Look At The Birds

I’ve been inspired over the past number of years by several authors. I see these authors as ember tenders. They’ve found a way to brush back some of the ash surrounding glowing embers. These are ideas and principles and values and wisdom that I have found to resonate in scripture. Stuff that many are now beginning recognize as glowing embers. I believe it’s time we bring some fresh air and add some hardwood.

One of these writers I had the pleasure of meeting this past January on a week long trip to Ohio. David Kline is an Amish Bishop and Farmer in Holmes County Ohio. David has written two books that are listed amongst my books that inspire me (see the sidebar). What an inspiration to sit beside the woodstove in his living room and talk about everything from Anabaptist history to eschatology to birds and “a faint tinge of skunk”.

One of David’s quotes that struck a cord with me is from his book Great Possessions. David writes “we farm the way we do because we believe in nurturing and supporting all our community—that includes people as well as land and wildlife.” This line has become a sort of purpose statement for our little farmette here in Rockingham County, Virginia.

I love the idea and the experience of providing healthy and sustainably raised meat and eggs for our family and several others as well, including some individuals who are in need of assistance. But our efforts go beyond just the people. One of the ways David has inspired us is in the starting of a bird list on our property.

Some of the ash that has been covering glowing embers for me has been an ignorance and apathy about the variety of God’s creation that exists all around me. I used to think a sparrow is a sparrow is a sparrow. I thought “they’re brown and rather boring, they all look alike”. That is until I began to recognize the fact that multiple varieties were visiting our feeder. There were white throated, white crowned, song, house, and maybe several more that I’ll identify as I look closer and pay more attention. That’s just the sparrows! I’ve come to look forward to seeing the chickadees and trying to figure out if we have the black-capped or just the Carolina. One of my favorites is the tufted titmouse. And the Cardinals, how many pairs do we really have? I even believe I spotted a horned lark out in one of the fields beside our property. I read about all the different warblers that frequent David’s farm and am convinced I have got to see one of these elusive birds.

I can almost hear Jesus saying “Look at the birds of the air”. In the past I would have read these words, and thought about the birds just long enough to confirm that they were of less value than me and remember that I’m not supposed to worry because of them. It seems to me the only thing that stuck was that the birds were not very valuable because I certainly found myself worrying about going out and getting my fair share.

I don’t think Jesus was saying “remember the birds aren’t very valuable.” I believe Jesus was saying “Look at the birds of the air. Go on, look at them.” Jesus was outside after all, teaching in the open air, up on the mountain. Who knows what birds he was pointing to as they were flitting around searching for seeds and insects or soaring above, riding the thermals searching for prey or carrion? I have come to see the significance of Jesus mentioning the birds and the lilies. Jesus was notorious for mentioning and associating with the “least of these” and speaking of the Father’s love for them. Even the birds, who are of little or no economic value to anyone, are cared for by our heavenly Father. The message is not “Those birds are worthless, don’t waste your time or resources on them” but “Look at the birds – they may seem less valuable to you but your heavenly Father cares about them and has provided for them in His infinite wisdom found in His good creation. And, God has provided for you, as well, in his infinite wisdom found in His good creation. Yes, even those people who you seem to believe are worthless.”

David Kline shared with me that he had recently led his congregation from a New Order Amish to an Old Order Amish affiliation. His reasoning? “It came down to feeding the birds” is what he told me. This is where the conversation moved to eschatology and theology and Anabaptist history. There is so much wrapped up in “feeding the birds”.

I find in David’s writing about the birds and creatures that inhabit his 70 acre farm a profound understanding of the depth and breadth of God’s love. A sense of awe and respect for the wisdom and power of God as revealed in His creation. There is a tangible humility and seriousness as David articulates his sense of call to care for all of his community, the “people as well as land and wildlife”.
What frustrates me is when these ideas are seen as only some sort of leftist agenda or tree hugger fanaticism. Here is where I’m acutely aware of those fluffy white ashes that can choke out the fresh air and keep the fire from burning in me. It is precisely at these moments that I am both grateful for and challenged by Jesus’ reminder to “look at the birds of the air”. It is the fresh air that is needed, the hardwood that provides heat for my home.