Wednesday, May 24, 2023

“Birds find nooks and crannies in your house, sparrows and swallows make nests there. They lay their eggs and raise their young, singing their songs in the place where we worship. God-of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God! How blessed they are to live and sing there!” (Psalm 84: 3 -4, The Message Bible)

                She’s ba-a-ack!

                Now for a return engagement, for the umpteenth year in a row, now starring, Mother Robin has returned to the same nest in the same spot – just above our back sunroom door. I have written about her before – her perseverance, her persistence, her protectiveness as a mother bird. It is not the best of spots in so many ways. Our dog, Charlie, is in and out of that door several times a day. If I go out, she flies away – annoyed at the intrusion. In fact, just this morning, she or her mate found its way right into the sunroom itself and I had to rescue her/him while the mate fluttered just outside in great consternation.

                I have taken down the old nests. I have slanted the speaker on which the nest sits, hoping the awkward angle would dissuade her.  But no way; somehow, she manages to build a nest that is perfectly level for her needs.

                There is just something about this spot that she likes. It must seem safe and protected for her and her brood. So be it; welcome home, Mother Robin.

                Psalm 84 begins with these words: “What a beautiful home, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! I’ve always longed to live in a place like this, always dreamed of a room in your house, where I could sing for joy to God-alive!” It is referring to the Temple in Jerusalem as the ideal location for worship and praise of God. Now, there are not many churches around in which I would want to make my home. The hard wooden pews are not very comfortable for sleeping although more than a few have done so during my sermons.  

Yet, once, a street person came into our worship service and eventually he stretched out on the pew and went to sleep. Although it bothered some, in a way, I took pride that a homeless person saw our church as a safe place, a place in which he could find a little rest, a place which would not reject him or kick him out. At least, he didn’t snore.

Churches are not sometimes referred to sanctuaries for nothing. In the big picture painted by this Psalm, we are reminded that when we dwell in the sanctuaries which God provides, even the weakest, the most vulnerable, the least of us, might find shelter and havens in the Love of God. "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”  (Psalm 23:6, New Living Translation)

Sanctuaries are not necessarily always made of physical buildings. We can find sanctuary in somebody’s love and acceptance. We can find sanctuary though our prayers and praise, even during the weekdays. We can find sanctuary in a much beloved scripture verse or reading from the Bible. We can find sanctuary in in the kindness of others. We can find sanctuary in the words of encouragement, hope, inspiration, motivation which come our way. God provides many nooks and crannies where we can feel at home, feel safe and sound, and experience the providence and assurances of God’s Love.

“The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.” (Psalm 27: 4, NLT)

Thinking along these lines gives a little different nuance to Jesus’ words, “Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”  (John 14: 1 -2, TMB)

Words that speak not only to some future tomorrow but for right now, right here. There is a spot above God’s sunroom door which is right for you, right for me. “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.” (2 Corinthians 5:1, NLT)

Dale