On the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I brought along a book by Debbie Blue called Consider the Birds: A Provocative Guide to Birds of the Bible (got it in the Kay Andrews Bookstore, by the way!). It’s one of the best books about the Christian faith that I’ve read in years, and as you might guess, it got me to pay more attention to the birds all around me every day on the pilgrimage. And it has so stuck with me that this weekend I’ll be preaching about a bird-reference from the lesson from Exodus that we’ll hear in church, one featuring a familiar Biblical symbol for strong, powerful Christian faith: the eagle. It just so happens that the word translated “eagle” in the passage could be translated differently, in a way that dramatically changes our understanding of what it means to be “borne on (the bird’s) wings” and carried to God (Exodus 19:3-5). It’s surprising and challenging, but that’s not always a bad thing. In fact, sometimes we need to be surprised and challenged in order to grow as humans and as disciples of Jesus.

This morning I was flipping back through Consider the Birds, and I came across this quote from Debbie Blue that speaks to this very thing:

“We are often so caught up in our ability to make judgments that we deprive ourselves of a more lively imagination. What I judge is often a projection of my fear – fear that I am something that is unlikeable; fat, old, weird, partisan, self-righteous, hateful. I am undoubtedly far more narrow-minded than I suspect…

[but] what if we weren’t smothered and dimmed and made mean by our fear? What if we could be attentive to what we encounter and not be overcome with our assumptions about the goodness or badness, the beauty or ugliness, but rather, be interested in them and curious about them? The narrow limits of our verdicts might be opened up. We need to have a little more imagination. The well-being of our children depends on this.” (p 80)

This past week has seen yet more unnecessary violence, another bloody flashpoint in our society’s polarized hostility. Another person with too little empathy, too little understanding, too much fear, and dangerous access to firearms did what such people have done so often in recent years. And how we choose to respond to this and every such outburst is of sacred importance. We need to be more curious and open-minded, not less. We need to pursue greater empathy and understanding, not less. We need to be less fearful and have more wonder. We need to reach out with openness to others and to the world, and be less afraid of what we see on the nightly news and what we’ll meet when we walk out our doors.

Such a big-hearted, hopeful, even child-like living is worth praying for. It is worth dedicating our whole selves to it. It is central to this faith we share, and the Lord we follow. And as we keep walking through these strange days, it is more important than ever.

See you this weekend.

-Casey+