For the Birds: A Communion Meditation

Some time ago, my wife Kristi and I were out in the front yard enjoying the sun, enjoying each other’s company and tossing softball. As she reared back and wound up to throw the ball my way, something bad happened. The one and only bird soaring overhead, decided that the time was right to relieve itself. Now, I must admit, I don’t think she did it on purpose but Kristi, right in the middle of her throw, actually made a pretty good catch—the bird’s gift to her landed right in her hand; needless to say, though, our game of catch was over.

It wasn’t a half hour later that we walked outside again and guess what, we had another bird encounter. This time though the situation was different, there was no bird flying overhead but instead, a wounded baby bird lying at the foot of our steps. Even more, there was a cat hovering over it! The cat—which seemed to realize that he was up to no good—left when he saw us coming towards him and the bird. Kristi picked the bird up, built it a nest, gave it some water, put it in our basement and tried nursing it back to health. However, it was just too wounded and too young to survive.

It is definitely true that sometimes, it seems like life is for the birds. You see, these two real-life situations reminded me, in a parabolic sort of way, of my relationship with God. I am like that bird who, for the lack of better terms, dumps on God. I treat Him unfairly; I make a mess of our relationship. Yet, before too long I am humbled God.

Because you see, at just the right time, He comes along, pulls me from the teeth of that prowling cat—or lion if you please—and He fixes me up, cleans me up and He heals me. As we meet at the Lord’s Table this morning, unlike my story with the not so happy ending of the bird dying, we remember that we, as the unworthy birds that we are, don’t have to die because He did it for us. In His death, we find life.

And in life, during those times that we’re not who we should be in Christ, let us remember Him and let us call on Him so that He may pick up our broken souls so that we might soar on wings as eagles and there meet the Heavenly. And as we partake of these emblems, may we meet Him now as well.