As the Christian season of Lent asks us to consider our human condition, particularly our frailties, I am grateful to be reminded in this ancient practice of a necessity to trust in God as sustainer of life.
Furthermore, while considering the human condition and the idea that God is the giver and sustainer of life, this week, while in downtown Kinston, I found myself standing and listening to a unique outdoor concert.
Not to worry, we have not missed the 2013 debut of Sand in the Streets, nor any event sponsored by Kinston’s fantastic Council for the Arts. This concert was one of nature’s daily impromptu celebrations of a small bird perched on the branch of Crêpe Myrtle lifting her voice and singing to the glory of God.
The crisp and organic sound of her music was so good and attractive that the sweet springtime melody eclipsed the typical intrusive sound of the busy commercial world happening around us.
As I stood there gazing into this small tree — like a modern day Moses without the fire — beholding this wonderful little feathered creature, I did not know which to rank higher, the sound of her music or the overall performance of this dramatic melody. The sound was heavenly, as her appearance was graceful and majestic.
At St. Augustus, part of our order of worship is to begin with what we call a hymn of praise. In our tradition, we sing hymns because of their theology. They teach something about God, and thus our human frailty, including a need to depend upon the One who gives and sustains life.
So then, as weird as it may sound to some, for me the bird in the Crêpe Myrtle was a teachable moment.
It was another one of nature’s poetic gestures, a coded message in song, one of nature’s organic and trustworthy voices singing a hymn of praise. And while her performance was in a language difficult to interpret, nonetheless, somehow I could hear a message of joy and peace, to include an ascription of glory and honor, much like our Sunday hymns.
And for me, as I stood there surrounded by a sea of other noises, this simple celebration of praise on a tree branch revealed a kind of clarity about trust in God that I will not soon forget.
Matthew 6:26 says, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they?”
So in conclusion of the matter, I praise God for the reminder, and I praise God for the ears of the soul that can somehow interpret nature’s other voices as they sing God’s praise.
The Rev. Julian Pridgen is pastor of Saint Augustus A.M.E. Zion Church. Reach him at julianpridgen21@gmail.com.