Call to Worship and Opening Litany
P: People of God, welcome to this place of love & grace.
All: Welcome to this place of hope & prayer.
P: We are here, O God, to be part of this community.
All: God invites us all into service and prayer.
P: We are here, O God, to thank You for what is good.
All: We are here to give thanks that we do not stand alone.
O: We come this morning to remember our call –
All: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.
P: We bring with us the events of this week, in the world, and in our lives.
All: We give thanks that we do not stand alone but together embraced by Your divine Grace. Amen.
Reflection for Father’s Day:
Longing and the Love
We long for the perfect protection
of a father,
for strong arms that encircle us,
hold us tight to a broad chest,
a beating heart.
Arms that toss us into the air,
screaming with laughter and a little fear,
even though we know those arms will always catch us.
From the moment we gasp
our first breath of air,
we long for the perfect father.
We long for a father who sacrifices,
who lays down his time to play games,
read our favorite book one more time,
or take a long walk and listen.
Who reaches into his pocket
and pulls out a dollar for ice cream.
Who reaches deeper to provide a good home, good food, and good gifts.
We long for a father who always protects,
always cheers and always sacrifices.
Some of us are blessed to find
bits and pieces of these longings
met in human form,
Like sun through stained glass—a brilliant picture, illuminated by our Father who satisfies these longings.
We thank God for fathers who protect,
who encourage with strong words,
and strong convictions;
fathers willing to sacrifice,
striving to love.
But some of us are grieving.
Grieving the loss of a good father,
or the lack of one.
Some never knew their father’s arms,
and some bear scars, on skin and soul,
dealt from a father’s swinging arms.
At some point, all of us are left longing.
Lacking.
No human father can perfectly satisfy.
Look up and know your Father in Heaven
gave you these longings,
and only He can perfectly fulfill them.
His strong arms protect,
His words bring life and light.
His perfect sacrifice draws us to His side,
where we can hear His heart beating with perfect love for us.
We celebrate our fathers on earth,
and our Father in heaven.
We give thanks for the longing,
and give thanks for the love.
~ written by Brian Lundin for worship at Austin Stone.
Gospel: Matthew 10.29- 31
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Sermon: God’s Loving Eye on The Sparrow.
While in Denmark our two sons were spending a surprising amount of time on their new hoppy. Birdwatching. Or Birding. Watching real birds, not beautiful girls that is.
Generation Z (16 – 29) is making birdwatching cool. Birdwatching is not long seen as a retired grandpa hobby or a hobby for nerds with binoculars, raincoats and orthopedic shoes.
A growing number of young people are treating it like a low cost, high reward way to unplug, feel grounded and learn to respect nature, to be quiet and find silence in an increasingly noisy, demanding and confusing time.
Gen Z has grown up with instability as a background noise to their lives. Economic stress, Climate anxiety, Social media comparison. A pandemic. Constant information access and overload. Mental health issues.
So, our sons of 28 and 25 brought their binoculars to Denmark along with their Birding Apps and went birdwatching. In the gardens, at the seaside, at the lakes and even in the cities. Counting birds, competing, learning, – and yet spending valuable time together with patience, quiet time and watchful eyes for the beauty of creation.
Their attentive eyes were on the sparrows, owls, black birds and swans.
It is a trend.
But much more than that. It taps into mental health habits, silence, and fixing our attention span in waiting and watching.
Birdwatching is having a real moment. It may sound surprising – as I was surprised when I first saw our sons with binoculars and patience, - but then consider the time this generation Z is living through. Burnout is high. Everything is expensive. Screens are exhausting. Algorithms are loud. Birdwatching, by contrast, is slow, cheap, low pressure and weirdly rewarding. Birdwatching is peaceful and peace is something we long for.
Soft hobbies have been on the rise for the past years. Reading books. Pottery classes. Crochet and knitting. Baking, Gardening. Etc.
So birdwatching is cool. It asks you to be present in a specific way. To listen, watch, wait. Notice, learn. Awe.
We are also birdwatching in today’s Gospel.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father.
And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
I cannot read or listen to the Gospel about the sparrows, without humming the beautiful old Gospel Hymn:” His Eye is on the sparrow.”
This hymn continues to reassure us in our faith in a loving father, in whose eye we are beloved, seen and blessed.
Written in 1905 this old gospel hymn is rooted in the comforting belief that God watched over every creature, the birds flying high, the fish swimming freely, the butterflies flickering – and his children. The inspiration for the hymn comes directly from Jesus’ words about the sparrows.
I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free. For his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.
As birdwatchers patiently are looking up, watching, waiting and rejoicing when their eyes catch a tiny sparrow, a giant hawk, an elegant swan or a flashing blue Jay, - we do believe and trust that our God, our heavenly father, catches us and watches us. That every life is precious as every creature is. That every life is precious in the eye of God and that his watchful care extends to even the smallest and most fragile among us. In a world of war and anxiety, and in a time of competitive hollowness where many feel overlooked, forgotten and insignificant, - Jesus’ word about the sparrow tells us another story of worth, grace and love.
We are seen, we are loved, we are blessed.
We share a deep human longing for a perfect protector of a father, for strong arms to hold us and catch us when needed. We share the love and longing for a good father who cares, stays, protects, sacrifices and strives to love no matter what.
We also share a deep divine longing for a heavenly father who gave us these longings and gave us faith that His arms will protect, his words will bring life and light, and his heart will beat for us as his eye constantly watches over us.
So, today we give thanks for fathers on earth and in our lives, and we give thanks for our Father in Heaven. We give thanks for the deep longing and the deep love that sustains us, satisfies us and embraces us with grace.
For his Eye is on the sparrow.
The young birdwatchers of our time might be on the right path as they also have their eyes on the sparrows.
Birdwatching offers a different kind of attention that feels healthier than what we usefully practice with our short attention span, our unwillingness to wait and our shortcuts to learn.
Birdwatching offers the sought after peace and quiet for the worried souls and tired minds in a time of overstimulating, information overload and lack of patience.
Birdwatching is asking us to spend time just watching and being. In awe of the wondrous creation and majestic flying creatures – and taking it in.
Birdwatching could be a way to find God too. To believe that as our eyes might be on the sparrows, His loving Eye is each and every one of his creatures, including me.
“Let not your heart be troubled.”
His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness,
I lose my doubt and fear.
Though by the path He leadeth,
But one step I may see:
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me..