March 2022

“Tell me, what does a snowflake weigh?” said the song thrush to the pigeon.

“Next to nothing,” was the reply.

“In that case, I have a wondrous story to tell you,” said the song thrush. “I was sitting on the branch of a fir tree one day, quite close to the trunk, when it began to snow. It didn’t fall violently like in a wild storm, no… but rather as in a dream, soundlessly and weightlessly. Since I had nothing better to do, I counted the snowflakes which came to rest on the twigs and needles of my branch. There were exactly 3,741,952 of them. When the three million, seven hundred and forty one thousand, nine hundred and fifty third flake fell — as you say, a mere nothing — the branch broke.” And so saying, she flew off.

The pigeon, a specialist in such questions since way back when Noah built his ark, reflected briefly, and then said to herself, “Perhaps it would only take a single extra person’s voice for there to be peace on earth.”

from Kurt Kauter, “Thus Spake the Marabou”

Like many, reading Scripture is part of my daily spiritual practice. In my case, I listen to the “Daily Audio Bible” app on my phone every day as I take a walk. Old Testament, New Testament, Psalm, and Proverbs, day after day. Which means that as I write this in late February, I am hip deep in the book of Leviticus, the place where plans to read the entire Bible go to die. If you can make it through there, you can make it through anywhere in Scripture.

This morning I listened to Leviticus 13, focused on the ritual cleanliness of skin, as well as mold found on fabric. This, after chapters on what makes for a proper offering, preparing priests, and the varieties of food that are or are not considered to be kosher. And it’s not just here. In Genesis 6 we learn that the length of the ark is three hundred cubits, not 299 or 301, and in Exodus, the Ark of Covenant is to be a cubit and a half wide. And then there is Numbers, where we learn such details as “those enrolled of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.”

As this goes on, chapter after chapter, attention can flag. We might wonder why we are reading this when for freedom Christ has set us free. In a fit of honesty with God, we might go so far as to ask who really cares about all this stuff.

Clearly God cares.

Even if by grace we aren’t bound to these rules and regulations in the same way as the ancient Israelites or contemporary Jews, the fact that God considered them to be so important makes them important to us. It is often said that “the devil is in the details,” because to miss the detail means to miss something important. But perhaps we should be saying that “God is in the details,” because if every hair on our head is counted, and no sparrow forgotten in God’s sight, then our attention to detail has the potential to witness God’s glory.

How are we led to pray with thanksgiving when noting that three new people joined us last year who weren’t here the year before? Perhaps one of them is different from us in a way that the annual statistical report asks about, giving us cause to celebrate. When you realize that $10 more was spent on mission than before, or a new group now uses your facility. In a vacuum these may not sound like much. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, each has the potential to change us, our congregation, and even the world.

And with eyes of the heart to see, we may just notice God at work, so that we might give God the glory. Truly,

God is all in all,

Stated Clerk

Photo by Erik Karits from Pexels