Sparrow

 (Photo by Bob O’Neill, 1992)

As I scanned through some pictures today on a friend’s timeline, one in particular caught my eye. It was a picture of a hand holding a little bird. The thought came to me where Jesus was teaching, and mentioned the sparrow, in the book of Matthew.

I thought about that little sparrow and decided to do a little research. I found that there are many species but I concentrated on the house sparrow. Sparrows are found all over the world. Places like, Southern Panama, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands including Hawaii, South Africa, Tanzania, and in South America near Buenos Aires, and from Tierra del Fuego to the fringes of the Amazon basin with isolated population as far north as coastal Venezuela. These birds are very social and well adapted with humans in urban and rural communities.

Their communal chirping is constant and not a very pretty song…but they have different sounds such as a chirrup, ‘ecstatic call’, for mating, and a soft quee, as an ‘appeasement call.’

I learned that sparrows will lay about four to five eggs and both parents feed them when they hatch. If the parents should perish, the ensuing intensive begging sounds of the young often attract replacement parents which feed them until they can sustain themselves.

The oldest known wild house sparrow lived for nearly two decades; it was found dead 19 years and 9 months after it was ringed in Denmark.

The oldest recorded captive house sparrow lived for 23 years.

I thought about the Scripture in Matthew 10:29-31, where Jesus used the example of sparrows to point out that not one of them falls to the ground without our heavenly Father’s care, and that we are worth more than many sparrows.

Sparrows are prolific, they thrive and feed and live among us. So prolific that people consider them as pests. They are rejected and in some places have almost become extinct. Yet they serve a purpose they eat other pests that are harmful to humans.

I thought about how amazing it is that Jesus used this tiny bird to make a point. Such an insignificant little bird, it is so common, not very pretty and isn’t of much value. Their song notes are of irritating chirps and yet God was mindful of them. He feeds them and cares for them. He spread them all over the world. His point…humans…insignificant, common, not very pretty, in their total weight they aren’t worth much…harmful if not educated, congregate in communities and are wasteful and prideful and make a mess wherever they go.

But, Jesus said, we are worth more than many sparrows. Oh how he loves us…He loves us so much…

Fallen to the ground…God picks us up, cleans us up, and carries us for a while…then sends us on our way…

Learn to sing a new song little sparrow…You are loved, you are not alone!

I learned that there was a time in my husband’s life when he was under a tremendous amount of stress that God reminded him of the sparrow and that if God could take care of the sparrow, he knew he would take care of him. The picture I used is one that Bob took years ago. How fitting for today’s surmising’s.

~M. S. O’Neill December 20, 2017

Matthew 10:29-31 New International Version (NIV) Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.