Dear Friends in Christ:
Have you discovered the Merlin app? Developed by the Cornell Ornithology Lab, it takes birdwatching for inexperienced bird watchers like myself to a whole new level! You can identify birds the traditional way (but enhanced by software) by taking a picture and having the app identify the bird. But my favorite part is the sound recording feature. You sit outside and start the recording and soon the app can identify all of the various birds you are hearing – giving you a picture, information about the bird, and multiple songs and calls that bird may use.
Would that we had such an app that could help us clearly hear God’s song – and distinguish God’s voice from all the competing voices and messages we hear! But perhaps one of our best guides for listening to God is the one bird watchers have been following through the centuries before there were apps available for our smartphones:
- Take time, be still, and pay attention. Every birder takes time to watch and listen. The first step for our spiritual lives is similar: we can’t expect to grow in our ability to hear God if we don’t slow down, find a quiet place, and pray. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his guide for students in the underground seminary he helped to establish in Nazi Germany, stressed the need to begin and end each day with prayer. That remains helpful guidance. In our prayer life, we not only voice our needs; we also leave space for listening and paying attention. We not only look ahead to what lies ahead of us; we also pray over the day that is ending. Where did we see God today? How were we blessed by God? Is there someone who crossed our path whom we should follow up with – or pray for?
- Draw on the resources of those who have gone before you. Every birder has one of the bird guides close at hand. We too have been given the gift of the Scriptures, the “spectacles” which help us to see more clearly, as John Calvin put it. Sometimes a particular passage may speak to us: we can ask what word, teaching, or image is speaking to me right now? Why is that – what guidance am I being given? Sometimes the impact of a particular scripture passage may come only days – or months – later. We can also draw on devotional resources written by others – although they can never take the place of the Scriptures.
- Spend time with the community of fellow seekers. While bird watching can often be a solitary activity, every birder I know loves to meet up with fellow birders to share discoveries and seek help with identifying birds. So too, we are each given the gift of a community of faith. We need each other to help us hear God, especially when we are struggling to hear anything, or we are hearing too many ungodly voices. We need each other to broaden our perspectives and get fresh insights. And we need each other so we can celebrate our discoveries and share our questions. I know all that has happened for me in my time with you.
But back to the Merlin app: never did I know a House Finch had so many songs and calls!
See you Sunday,
P.S. I also hope you can join us tonight in our special caring for creation service that will include a blessing of animals. Bring a lawn chair and your pet – or simply come to enjoy creation and fellowship – at 7 p.m. outside the church tonight (on the golf course side near the back). The Worship Team will have refreshments following at approximately 7:30 for two-legged and four-legged creatures alike.
