Sunday Sanctuary

Savannah Sparrow

Grandma D used to tell me that if you looked closely at a group of little brown birds, you would always find one that was different. It took many years before I developed her skill of identifying various sparrows. I like to look for the seasonally visiting "little brown birds" throughout the year. Savannah sparrows return in the spring and are easily identified by their yellow eyebrow. They perch openly and sing on fences and posts in fields and meadows. 

My mother taught my brothers and I many Sunday School choruses and I still see her at the piano, singing with joy and enthusiasm. She used to sit at the piano and sing in the afternoon after she finished the household chores and had dinner prepared. One of the first songs I remember learning as a child was The Birds upon the Treetops.

Savannah Sparrow in song

The birds upon the tree tops sing their song;

The angels chant their chorus all day long;

The flowers in the garden blend their hue,

So why shouldn’t I, why shouldn’t you praise Him too?

Ottawa Lilacs

We drove to Ottawa this week and lilacs of all colours were in bloom along the highways and trails. They are in flower a little early this year but their gorgeous hues were lovely to see.

Who can resist the lovely scent of the lilac bloom?

Psalm 96:11-13 says, 

"Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;

Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;

 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.

Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice

before the Lord.

For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.

He shall judge the world with righteousness,

And the peoples with His truth.

Some days I feel the burden of a world full of injustice and wish that righteous judgement would come sooner than later. A couple of chapters earlier, the psalmist echoes my thoughts in Psalm 94.

The Lord is a God who avenges.

O God who avenges, shine forth.

Rise up, Judge of the earth;

pay back to the proud what they deserve.

How long, Lord, will the wicked,

how long will the wicked be jubilant?...

Today I choose joy, along with the singing birds and the extravagent foliage and flowers of spring. Thinking about God as an Avenger, is an entirely new sermon!