A few weeks after moving to Missouri, new life has appeared in the midst of a global pandemic. Three brownish-orange chickens (Buff Orpingtons is the breed I am told by my smart phone) have made their home in our backyard. They have taken to roaming their domain with a sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness that inspires hours of birdwatching in my family. I have found myself, in the quiet of the morning before my family stirs, simply marveling at our chickens. They generally cluck, peck and scratch their way around the yard hunting bugs and unearthing juicy tidbits to eat or simply chasing each other for the fun of it.
In the few short weeks that we have had our chickens
,
we have watched their personalities take shape. One is bold and fierce, ready to puff-up at a moment’s notice. Another is shy and retreating, literally running from shadows. And the third is an explorer, leading the flock to undiscovered corners and bushes around our yard. What has been interesting for me has been the way in which each chicken, we haven’t named them yet, takes turns in leading the flock. They alternate between bold, curious, and shy. I have loved watching these feathered egg-layers strut their way into our hearts. Chickens are fascinating creatures. It is no wonder that Jesus uses the image of a hen, a chicken, as a metaphor for God’s love.
During this time of pandemic I think we can learn a thing or two about God’s love for us from creatures as simple as chickens. Over the last few weeks, while we have been sheltering-in-place, many of us have discovered anew the seemingly insignificant things that have always been around us. We have been in many ways forced to slow down and rediscover the beauty of nature and the joys of those we love. One of my good friends has been sharing pictures of the growing family of robins that have taken up residence on their deck. Another has discovered baking and gardening for the first time.
I am reminded of the prophet Elijah in the
Old Testament Book
of 1 Kings. Elijah lived during a time of tremendous challenge and upheaval for the Israelites. The world as he knew it was being upended and in the chaos ensued God calls Elijah to be a prophet. Elijah sought God in the rushing wind, in the booming earthquake, in the roaring fire, but God was not there. God was in the sheer silence.
I am convinced that this time of pandemic calls us to spend some time in the sheer silence, so that we can hear anew the voice of God speaking to us and through us. It can be easy to get lost in the winds, earthquakes and fires of our lives. A sound of sheer silence is not often where we look to find balance, to find peace, to find center. We often look for God in the grand, in the powerful, in the extraordinary places of our world. And yet it is most often in the extraordinarily ordinary that God speaks.
Christ is found in the bold simplicity of people across our diocese and across the world making masks to protect the lives of neighbors they will never meet. In the Christ-like offering of food and support to those who visit foodbanks and pantries present in so many of our communities of faith. In the radically simple act of calling a friend who lives alone or grocery shopping for an elderly saint. In the brightly colored messages of hope and inspiration chalked on sidewalks to bring encouragement and hope. The list of ways in which we have made the common holy in this time is in a word; remarkable. God dwells in the extraordinarily ordinary spaces in our lives, transforming them into remarkable acts of faith, hope, and love. God is in the business of calling ordinary people in the midst of their lives to do exceptional things.
To what extraordinarily ordinary things is God calling you?
So back to our chickens. There is nothing particularly special, or exceptional, or even remarkable about chickens. And yet Jesus imagines God’s love for us to be like a protective hen gathering us under her wings. My prayer during this time, is that we might be like those chickens. That we may be bold and shy, adventurous and fierce, protective and curious in proclaiming a God who uses the ordinary to accomplish extraordinary things.