Scripture: Psalm 84:3 – “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.”
Humans are monument makers. Our sense of time and meaning causes us to build tools and edifices and communities that go beyond mere utility. They evoke a sense of grandeur, progressive hope, or nostalgic memory. We transform spaces so that our dreams and goals might be made manifest in beauty as well as in practicality. But creating such spaces can have unintended consequences.
Many human communities lay out their spaces without much regard to the non-human world, figuring there is enough space for nature to find its way around them. And while this often does lead to destructive consequences for the animals and other life displaces, that is not what I want to talk about today. Sometimes, a new building or location can provide a new opportunity for life to express itself.
We often view cities as purely human spaces and the opposite of “nature”, but nature still works in and among even the most sterilizing of spaces. Sometimes, people get a lot of joy from watching live camera feeds of birds like hawks or falcons nesting on skyscrapers, finding a way to survive and thrive in an environment that was never meant for them. And yet when we see those birds flying overhead or watch them return to their nests with food for their young, it creates a sense of connection, even empathy, that is missing that endures any attempts to separate humanity from nature.
Birds treating tall buildings like trees is nothing new. Psalm 84 is a psalm which praises the Temple of the Lord, a place of sanctuary and joy for the people of Israel. But the first example the psalmist uses is that of the sparrows and swallows that nest in the rafters of the altars. The temple was built to honor God and to remind the people of God’s love and power. But in doing so, the building also allowed a place for animals to also feel the love of God and for humans to share that love with the birds and with each other. No matter how much we might think we are divided from each other, or have nothing to offer each other, the opposite is constantly proven true.
Spring is just around the corner, and I have already seen robins and cardinals and heard the cracking sound of woodpeckers. We may have built our communities for ourselves, but the birds and other animals are part of them as well. God has brought us together, and so whenever possible, let us praise God together as well.
Prayer: Lord, help me find you in expected places and to recognize how all of creation sings your praises. Amen.
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