Above is a picture which I took today of a Swallow-tailed Kite soaring over Champaign, IL. This is only the seventh documented sighting of a swallow-tailed kite in the State of Illinois for the past 50 years. If you look at a range map you'll see that they inhabit the wetlands of the extreme southeastern United States, so it's a special treat to have one hanging around here for the past week or so. If you know anything about birders, you won't be surprised to know that they've been coming in large numbers, some from great distances here in the midwest, to get this bird on their life lists. When I stopped by to get this picture this afternoon, there were about a dozen birdwatchers with binoculars and cameras with huge lenses watching the kite and hoping it would perch nearby. There have also been news crews hanging around the area in the past week as well.
In contrast, earlier today I was on a weekly Audubon birdwalk in a local park. There were twenty-some birders there for the comradery of birding together and to learn from more experienced birders (personally it's an area I'm growing in when I have the time). On the final tally for the morning there were listed a total of 26 bird species, but there was one species I know was there and suspect everyone in the group saw as well (birders don't miss much) but paid no attention to and did not include on their lists. That was the house sparrow. The house sparrow is one of the most common animal species on the face of the earth, and certainly among the most widespread. It is found on all continents except for Antarctica and is often considered a pest -- you know, the little bird that hops up to you if you're eating at a restaurant patio or outside at the zoo to beg or steal a bit of your bread or french fries or whatever?
Scientists believe that the house sparrow originated in the Middle East*, where it was also not very highly valued if I'm right in assuming it is the sparrow Jesus was talking about when he commented, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?" Think about that -- that's not even a dime a dozen! At that price you could get 25 for a dime. But that wasn't the end of what Jesus had to say. He followed up by saying, "Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:6-7).
While we value the rare and unusual, such as the swallow-tailed kite in Champaign, IL, it is an amazing thing to know that God has time, attention and care for the common as well. He cares about sparrows. He cares about individual sparrows. How much more, Jesus asks, does He care about you as the unique individual you are? In fact, Jesus says, God knows how many hairs you have on your head. If He pays attention to that level of detail in your life, how much more does He pay attention to and care about your hopes, your dreams, your fears, your gifts, your abilities, the other details of your life? God knows us each, loves us, and wants what's best for us. How can we not trust Him with full authority over our lives?
* See Smithsonian's "The Story of the Most Common Bird in the World" for more on this ubiquitous bird.
