I have always loved sparrows. They may not be particularly impressive or interesting when you see a flock of them flying overhead or noisily chatting away on a pole or power line. But if you take time to watch just one of them closely, you’d be amazed. Sparrows are very intelligent and curious. Making certain noises will attract them because they want to see what it is that is making that interesting sound. If you put some bird seed in your hand, extend it and sit quietly for thirty minutes or so, you might very well find a sparrow perched on your hand hungrily munching away. Studies have shown that over time, sparrows recognize humans by sight and by sound. They are particularly interested in those who care for them. When I see this correspondence between people and nature, I think wistfully of our first estate before the Fall.

House sparrows can live as long as twelve years, and they choose a mate for life, though a small percent of males are sometimes promiscuous. Sparrows are very social creatures, preferring the company of other sparrows and humans as well. And, they can teach us valuable lessons. A pair of sparrows will have their occasional heated disagreement, scolding each other, but they quickly resolve those issues on which they disagree. Life is too short for them to dwell on their differences.

House sparrows exist on every continent except Antarctica, though it was only 1851 when the first sparrow was introduced to North America. And they tend to show up where they are least expected according to Smithsonian magazine:

The birds follow us wherever we go. House sparrows have been seen feeding on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building. They have been spotted breeding nearly 2,000 feet underground in a mine in Yorkshire, England.”

Worldwide, the sparrow population appears to be dwindling, though biologists are not quite certain why. Sparrows eat everything from insects to seeds to breadcrumbs to french fries!

Sparrows are featured in the Bible

Jesus famously singles out sparrows early in his ministry when he says in Matthew 10:29, 30:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.”

This verse tells us that God is aware of what is happening to each of His creatures, whether large or small, colorful or drab, common or near extinction. And He keeps track of them because He loves them and cares about them and for them. Let me give you an example.

Making a new friend

Many years ago, I had to run an errand to a store on a cold, wet, winter day. The temperature was well below freezing. I drove around the car lot until I found what seemed to be a good spot to park. I shut down my car and braved the sleet as I headed for the front doors of the store. About twenty minutes later, I checked out at the store and walked to my car. As I approached it, I saw this tiny sparrow squatting under the radiator of my car, using the heat from the radiator core to keep warm. It was a mesmerizing sight. An “a-ha” moment for me; one when I first really noticed and appreciated the species. I got inside my car, but almost didn’t want to drive away, because the bird looked so content. A happy coincidence? Who is to say with certainty that God did not arrange for me to park in that exact spot, knowing that one of His creatures nearby was cold and needed some warmth?

Sparrows are not the most popular birds in the animal kingdom if orthinologists can be believed. Even bird watchers scorn them, thinking of them as pests and not worthy of their attention. But based on His Word (the Bible), God seems particularly devoted to those rejected by others. He first revealed Himself ages ago to a people in a small tribe who even today are wrongfully persecuted or held in contempt by others in the global community. Jesus, likewise, went out of His way to make friends with the outcasts in society, whether the woman at the well who was sleeping around (John, Chapter 4), the Roman centurion who was hated by many as an unwelcome invader (Luke 7:1-10) or Matthew who was a tax collector by trade.

There is an old saying that I heard once that says when we get to heaven, we may be surprized by who is there and by who is not there. In other words, a few people we assumed loved God in this life and cared for others really did not, and a few others that were seen as somehow unworthy or unorthodox (“the least of us”) actually “made the cut.” I’m not trying to muddle Scripture here. What I’m saying is God cuts through the well-groomed, suntanned, manicured and sequined image we cultivate and searches our hearts instead. If there is a heaven for birds, we might think that the colorful peacocks, or the talking mynah birds, or the graceful eagles will be in abundance there. But I’d bet that there would be more than a few sparrows there as well.

St. Francis preaching to the birds

I also have an appreciation of sparrows and birds in general because of the influence of St Francis on my spiritual life. He saw himself as a fellow creature of God more than as someone on the top of the food chain. There is a famous work of art which I’ve included that shows him preaching to the birds, and all the birds are lined up listening attentively to him talk about God’s love and, perhaps for the sake of those promiscous sparrows present, God’s forgiveness as well. What good does talking about God to animals do? True, we are commanded to “preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), but perhaps the primary meaning of this verse means to tell “all of creation” about love and redemption. Yet, I think a person who loves God and tells his pets that we are all created by God and God loves us and cares for us may have a soothing effect on animals. If nothing else, it soothes us (in which case, animals may understand from our calm affect that they can trust us and that we care.)

Counting the stars

In Psalm 147:4, David writes that God determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Think about that for a moment. Billions of stars in our galaxy alone, not to mention an unknown, incaluable number of galaxies in our universe. Each star has a name, a unique nomenclature to God. NGC 1850 which is represented in the photo has hundreds of points of light alone, and this is just an insignificaly small portion of the evening sky in one hemisphere of the heavens, otherwise invisible to us without powerful instruments. Now, lest I mix apples and oranges, David does not say in this verse that God has a name for every sparrow, but is God any less aware of birds than stars? Not only that, birds are sometimes used when God interacts with people. For example, God used a raven to feed Elijah when he was in hiding in the wilderness in I Kings, Chapter 17. Before that, God used a dove to make Noah aware that the flood had ended and it was safe to look for land (Genesis 8:6ff.)

What does this all mean to me?

While we may have things in common with the sparrow, we are obviously different in many different ways as well. Humans are also social creatures, but we live cluttered live. When we are hurting or overwhelmed, we often isolate ourselves from others, which is probably the very worst thing we can do under the circumstances. We often doubt our self-worth or abilities, but if God looks out for small birds, how much more does He care for people? And I think that was what Jesus was getting to in the verse from Matthew. God knows the number of hairs on your head (and the older you get, probably the easier the number is to count.) But seriously, sparrows live very uncomplicated lives in nature. They don’t deal with peculiar human issues such as greed, loneliness, guilt, paranoia, emotional insecurity, embarrassment, dysmorphia, despair, shame, jealousy. They don’t have hopeless social entanglements. They just “are.” They are hatched, live free, raise families and at some point they close their eyes for the last time. They live unencumbered lives. And you can live free, too, because this Christmas season, God has a special gift for you as well. You can learn more about it here.