Sparrows are not Celebrities

“God sees the little sparrow fall

It meets his tender view

If God so loves the little birds

I know he loves me too”

            -Maria Straub  (1874)

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  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.”         
 -words of Jesus Christ recorded in Luke 12:6-7

   A short time ago my family went to a bird banding station.  Migrating birds fly into humane nets, which are checked periodically.  Each bird is carefully extracted, placed into a cloth bag and brought into the station.  Here volunteers reach in to see what has been caught.  A band is placed around one of the bird's legs,  measurements taken and then the bird is released. 

   The public is allowed to watch this process at set times, and it is just as exciting for them to see what comes out of the bag.  We saw a golden crowned kinglet, a Magnolia warbler, a purple finch and a gray catbird among others.  Only one was a sparrow--a white throated sparrow.  We were excited for a close-up view of the less common birds, but if all of the bags had contained sparrows we would have quickly lost interest.

   Therefore, it’s so interesting that Jesus chose the common sparrow as the creature to highlight as the one God cares for.  If he cares for the ordinary and plain birds, we humans don’t need to become celebrities to catch his attention!