Wednesday, August 8, 2018

“Jesus said, ‘How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.’” (Mark 4: 30 – 32, New Living Translation) 

                Quite possibly, I am the laziest bird-watcher in the world.

                I prefer that the birds come to me as opposed to me going to search for them. I do not want to traipse through mosquito infested woods and glades; nor tramp through swamps and fens; nor wait in dawn’s morning light waiting for some rare species to briefly flit by.

                I want to sit in my big Muskoka chair, with my binoculars close at hand, my bird book on the arm of the chair and a cup of coffee nearby and wait for the birds to fly right by me or better yet land in the trees, in the water or on the shore. The more the merrier.

                That strategy worked almost to perfection during our stay on Lake Erie near Leamington. I simply sat on our big deck and ended up with 20 different bird species – a few which I haven’t seen before in Ontario. There were two Great White Egrets and a flock of Snow Geese, for example. There were Common Terns and Little Gulls. Both put on quite the show when they got into a feeding frenzy, screaming and fighting over a school of small fish. There was a momma Mallard with her brood of nine ducklings. There was a handsome Common Merganser and a Bald Eagle and a family of Cedar Waxwings and the list goes on.

                A few years ago, I was asked why there were so many Christian denominations and not just one big, unified family of faith, working together. In some ways, even if some of us may be reluctant to admit it, we already are unified by our faith in Jesus Christ. But beyond that he certainly has a point – we are very diverse in theology, worship practices, points of view, how we see the world, how we view humankind, our interest in social issues, faith standards, and acceptance of lifestyles. Christianity is certainly a patch-work quilt, and sadly, a little tattered and torn in some places.

                Part of my answer was that variety gives everyone somewhere to perch in their faith journey. I love bright red cardinals but I wouldn’t want nothing but cardinals in the bird world. I love lilacs but I wouldn’t want only lilacs in the plant world. I love Australian Shepherds but that’s not the only dog I want. You get the picture.

                I give God praise for his creative, generous and abundant spirit of diversity, “God said, ‘Let the land produce all kinds of living creatures. Let there be livestock, and creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals. Let there be all kinds of them.’ And that's exactly what happened… And God saw that it was good.’’ (Genesis 1:24, 25, NIV)

                Take special note that this cornucopia of variety of life was good – very good.

                Jesus comes along and asserts that the Kingdom continues to hold this diversity and variety as a characteristic of its nature. The Kingdom, God’s great Vision for the future, which at first seems small, (and certainly there are those Christians who attempt to keep it small and select and uniform) actually expands to a point that it gathers all the different birds in its branches.

Of course, he is not talking about birds but about the diverse peoples who will be gathered into God’s Love, Justice and Grace, i.e. the Kingdom of God. White people. Black people. Brown people. Indigenous people. Male. Female.  Etc. Etc. Etc. Et Alia.

                It has always been and remains to be so that God hopes to bless the peoples and nations of the world. “The nations will praise you for ever and ever.” (Psalm 45:17) Jesus is instrumental to that task. “And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the City.” (Revelation 21:26, NLT)

                I don’t read uniformity and conformity in these texts so much as I try to interpret them as God’s Vision of harmony, peace, good will, mutual accord and respect – a new world of reverence, concord, unity which lifts the world of humankind above its prejudices, biases, limitations and boundaries.

                I only pray that we, the diverse peoples of the world, would start working on that Vision here and now. No time like the present.

                There is a tree with our many, many names on it, big enough to gather us all together, until “The leaves of the tree bring healing to the nations.” (Revelation 22:2) 

Dale