A Bird Bath Outside My Office Window... Matthew 6:25-34

I've struggled to put posts on my blog recently that are not either sermons I've written or prayers for services. I guess in leaving and grieving for my Church plant at Auckland University and moving to a new ministry situation I've found myself exhausted and simply doing what needs to be done to survive.

Praise God I think things are doing all right here at St Peter's Ellerslie/ Mt Wellington. I've been here for four Sundays now including Easter and the services have gone well, I'm slowly getting to know people and it's been great to have new people along most services.

One of the things that has made me feel at home and aware of God's presence is the Bird Barth outside the window of my office. While New Zealand is a land of birds with many species unique to our island home, being in suburbia the birds who come here to the bath in the little garden, in the asphalt expanse of our car park are common garden variety sparrows. Yet each time I see them come and bath and drink from the bath I am reminded of God's goodness and provision. (typically I couldn't get them to pose for the photo I took).

Also one of the women of the church gave me a welcoming present of a peace Lilly for my office. I haven't managed to kill it from neglect yet. She's watered it once and my kids make sure they water it on Sundays. But it also is a reminder of God's goodness and provision. God provides and cares for his people so why worry... rather put first the kingdom of God and his righteousness... and in the Howard Carter translation... "your heavenly Father got the rest sorted mate." (fortunately, the peace Lilly was more obliging)

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34