My beautiful, loving wife, Nancy, has convinced me that we need to feed the birds. Who will be next? In over thirty years of marriage, we have had three children (and all of the friends that they have brought into our home), one granddaughter, each of our respective immediate families, many of our extended families, countless friends and acquaintances, classmates, church members, neighbors, visiting pastors and their spouses, missionaries, church choirs, softball teams, baseball teams, basketball teams, golf teams, and alumni gatherings, not to mention two dogs, and two cats, who have all shared of the food in our home . . . and now we need to feed the birds. Who will be next?
Which is exactly what I was thinking as I was filling the bird feeders this morning: thistle seed, saffron seed, songbird seed, a suet block, cracked corn (which the squirrels also seem to really like) and sunflower seed . . . all carefully placed in the appropriate feeders which hang on a specifically designed pole to accommodate the variety of sizes and needs of both the birds and the feeders . . . and all purchased quite 'economically' from a specialty bird feeding store in a nearby town. Aaauuuuggggghhhh!
Growing up on a dairy farm, the only time we ever fed the birds was when the winter snows and/or ice made ground feeding in the fields impossible for them: we took pity on the hungry things and cast cattle feed on the ground in places where the birds would be reasonably out of the weather and safe from the small of herd of cats that were very much a part of our environment . . . and that was only done until the weather abated and food was more readily available again in the fields. But now? Now we provide food for them all the time, partly for their welfare and partly for our interest: They are pretty to watch as they feed together and jockey for position to get the choicest morsels but, 'Who will be next?'
Then, my breath got caught in my lungs and my heart seemed to pound as, in watching a lowly starling feed on the newly placed suet, I considered the privilege of what we are doing as I heard Jesus' words in my ears, " . . . the poor you will always have with you." Quite simply, we can either consider those in need among us as a burden or a privilege. We can view the ones who stand at our doorsteps or are at the foot of our tables as intruders or friends. We can regard the the hungry either as 'them' or 'me' - and respond accordingly.
In God's way of thinking, as reflected throughout the Bible, there is a high value placed on tending to the strangers and the ones in need among us. Hospitality in all of its forms, including lodging, food, conversation, and care, are all signs of a household where God is radically present and worshipped. Eagerness on the part of God's people to tend to the ". . . least among us . . ." and a willingness of share of any and all resources are part and parcel of defining that alternative worldview which specifically identifies those who are God's 'light unto the nations'.
You may not see how this relates to feeding the birds, but in that moment, I did. Not unlike all of those people who are equally members of God's creation and found a place and welcome at our table, our family is privileged to have 'plenty enough' to share of God's abundance in our lives. God holds nothing back in meeting our needs, so who are we to question our capacity or responsibility to provide the same for others . . . even the birds?
The 'poor among us' come in many forms, not as burden or intruder or as 'them', but as opportunities for the grace and abundance of God to be shared in mutual respect and caring for all of God's creation. The humble act of welcoming a stranger at your table, in meeting the need of someone less fortunate, in tending to God's creation, is the extravagant practice of extending God's hospitality and abundance in your own life. 'Who will be next?' Indeed, it might be me! To see ourselves in the faces of the others could be the greatest gift we are given . . . even if that stranger is a starling.
Thank you, God, for the abundance entrusted to me for sharing in your Name. Teach me generosity of spirit with others, and all of creation, as I pray for generosity of Spirit from You.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Don
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